Faces from the Past, post s3
by JackAddict
Summary: A tanker truck blows up near a residential area.Someone wants David Palmer dead.But that's just the beginning.Can Tony, Jack and Michelle save the day? Reviews appreciated. COMPLETE.
1. The initial Threat

**The Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles.**  
The camera moves through the hospital, until it reaches the room Nr. 4393. We see Jack Bauer stretched on a bed, and slowly opening up his eyes. The nurse in the room, who's been adjusting his covers greets him. "Mr. Bauer. How are you feeling?"

"Ah, I'm feeling alright." Jack says slowly, looking around the room. "My vision is still blurry. I'm tired."

"Any pains?"

"No. Not really."

"Good. If you need anything, just ring, alright?"

"Yes. Thank you." Jack sighs. He isn't exactly happy that he had to subject himself to eye surgery, but not being able to see well was even more annoying. He wasn't able to do his job properly.

Jack sits up in his bed, slowly, and looks out the window. Another one of those beautiful summer days outside. He sits there, thinking about Teri. On such days, they'd go to a park, have a walk, enjoy themselves. "Teri, I miss you.", he whispers to himself.

After a while, Kim comes in and Jack turns to her, meeting her halfway across the room.

"Hi Dad. Are you still feeling groggy from the operation?" She hugs him when asking this.

"Hey sweetheart." Jack hugs her back. "Yeah, but I'm gonna be fine. How are you? Haven't seen you in a while. I've missed you.", he admits, smiling.

"Chase and I have been organizing our move.Getting the papers and stuff ready." She smiles at him affectionately. "You look bored, Dad. They said your discharge papers should be ready soon. Then they'll release you for home recovery and I'll give you a ride home."

"Yeah, it's annoying." Jack smiles. "You know me, I wanna get back to work. How's Angela?"

"She's OK, growing so fast though. But she is adorable." Kim says with a smile.

Jack tenderly caresses her as he moves a strand of hair that's been hanging over her eye behind her ear. "Thank you for coming, Kim."

"Why wouldn't I come? You're my father and I love you, no matter where you are. So, do you have all your stuff packed so that we can leave when they get the papers ready?"

"Yeah. I'm all set."

The nurse walks back in. "Mr. Bauer?" , she spots Kim. "Oh, I'm sorry. You must be the daughter."

"Yes, she's my daughter", Jack replies. "So, do I get to go home?"

"Yes. Here are all your papers. Just be careful. Your eyes won't be fully recovered for a few hours yet."

"Ok, I will. Thank you."

The nurse nods and places the papers on the bed, then leaves the room.

**Division**  
Michelle sat at her desk looking over a numerous amount of files. Work here was just like it had been at CTU except she was the boss here. She did miss the old look of CTU though, Division was slicker, it had more of an uptight feel to it. But she would get used to it, like she got used to all of the changes she had been going through.

It had been a busy day so far, more then the usual amount of workload had come in, so they were sorting through it at a quicker pace, _It's going to be a long day... _Michelle thought as she closed a file on her desktop computer.

**Division main floor**  
Steve was filtering through the data streams coming in from the FBI, pulling them together, trying to make sense of all those numbers and strings of data. He looked bored. This wasn't why he took the job.

"Hellen, open up a socket on server two, please. I've got more data from the FBI coming in. I need you to check the names against the no-fly watch list, ok?"

"Sure." Hellen does as told. "Done."

**The Doheny Eye Institute**  
"Alright, we're ready. Let's go, Kim."

Kim takes Jack's arm and leads him through the door of the room towards the exit.

**CTU LA**  
Chloe O'Brien looked over from her desk, she frowned. "Just great." She whispered under her breath, rolling her eyes. She watched as Brad Hammond ducked into Erin's office. Chloe had forgotten all about the meeting between Driscol and Hammond. She sighed, but as long as Hammond didn't talk to her she wouldn't mind.

**Division **  
Michelle picked up the phone dialing Steve's number.

"Hey Steve, how is the data transfer between the FBI going?"

"Ah, we're just getting started, Michelle. The data are filtering in right now. I've put Hellen on the FBI watch list."

**highway**  
A trucker in his tanker, whistling to a tune on the radio, doing 50 on the freeway.

**Split screen of the truck and a Residental Area**

The men set up their positions, blending into the surrondings with ease. They brought their weapons to the ready, their target would be ariving shortly.

This would be the first step towards their goal, their goal of rebirth...

**Division **  
Michelle walked down from her office and over to Hellen's desk. She stood beside her and looked down at her work pile. "Hellen, have you got those lists sorted yet?" Michelle asked softly.

Hellen was startled a little. "No, Michelle, I just started. It's gonna take some time, alright?"

"Ah, Michelle, we'll get it done for you a.s.a.p., ok? I know it can't wait.", Steve interrupted. "How's your husband?", he changed the subject.

Michelle looked at Steve with her mouth wide open, she hadn't been expecting that question. She nodded. "He's fine, he's gone off to a job interview at the moment."

**Kim's car**  
Kim's driving, while Jack is looking around. He doesn't see that much, it's still quite blurry. _I hate this_., he thinks to himself. He looks affectionately at Kim. He's glad she got her life sorted out, things are finally looking like she'll be able to live a normal life after all. Despite everything that's happened to them and despite all the mistakes he's made in the past and this makes him happy. He looks out the window and smiles to himself, relieved.

**The Almeida Residence**

Tony comes home from a job interview Jack had arranged for him. It was a local software company who's founder was an old Army buddy of Jack's. The man seemed slightly more understanding than the other companies who had interviewed him.

"Heh.The word prison does have an effect on people." Tony thought to himself as he took off his tie and suit jacket.

"Oh well, just have to wait and see. At least I won't have to worry about stress the same way I had to at CTU."

**Kim's Car  
**Jack's cell phone rings. He picks up, not looking at the display to see the caller ID. "Bauer."

"Jack it's me," Jack closes his eyes and smiled slightly, it was Audrey.

"Hi, how's everything?" he asked, unable to hide the grogginess in his voice.

"Oh, fine, I've been able to take care of everything here while you were in surgery," she said with a short sigh, "but how are you?"

"I'm fine, it's nothing that a few hours rest won't cure."

"Well, no rush, I'll be over later to brief you on the events of the day...see you then?"

"Yea...see you then, bye."

Audrey smiled to herself as she put the phone back on the table and turned to return back to the room with her father to help with the tasks at hand.

**CTU**  
Brad Hammond greets Erin Driscoll: "Hello Erin. How are things here, are you back to full working capacity already?"

"Hello, Brad. Yes, everything is up and running. Have a seat.", she gestures to a chair in the office. "Coffee?"

"No thank you. Let's get started."

"Alright." Erin sits down opposite him and opens a file folder.

**Division**  
"Steve, you need to see this, I think I've got something.", Hellen calls to him. "This guy, Eric Simmons, he's on the watchlist here, but it appears as if he boarded a plane just a couple of hours ago."

Steve joins her at her desk quickly and takes a look at the screen for a second, then points to it. "Yeah, except it says here that guy is dead."

Hellen: "It's probably a glitch in the logs. Those damn Bureau guys haven't updated their lists. But I'll run it through the other lists anyway."

"Do that, but hurry up."

"Yeah I know. Everything's always urgent here."

Steve doesn't comment as he goes back to his desk.

**Jack's apartment**  
Kim pulls up infront of the house. Kim turns to Jack: "OK Dad, here we are. Let me help you get settled again "

"Thank you."  
Jack allows Kim to help him to bed. "I'll just rest for a while, you probably have other things to take care of."

**CTU**  
"So, Brad", Erin asks. "Are you satisfied with the choices we've made regarding our staff? After all, you've had your people supervise us."

Hammond: "Yes I suppose so, but I want weekly progress reports from here as usual. I see you still have Chloe o'Brian on staff here."

Chloe had just happened to walk past Driscoll's office, as Brad had mentioned her name. Chloe thought she'd take advanatage of this moment to make herself a real pain in the ass. She knew Hammond didn't like her so it was time to roll up her sleeves and play Little Miss Perfect.

Chloe ducked into Drisscol's office, "Yes I'm still here, Brad." Chloe said smiling. "Anything I can get you prehaps? A coffee? Or a transfer slip for the whole staff again?" She continued to smile. "Oh but that's probably not by protocol, I'll arrange it if you like, because I'm such a nice person, that is, Brad." She moved in closer to Hammond, placing a hand around his shoulders and patting him on the back. She was clearly making him uncomfortable. _Mission Accomplished_, she thought.

Hammond was clearly annoyed and a bit uncomfortable with Chloe: "Krhm,Chloe, just because you are the most skillful technician here at the moment it does not give you the authority to criticize your superiors. And as for the personnel changes, some of them were mandatory, some requested. Now leave."

Chloe lets go and leaves Erin's office, going back to the main floor.

**The Almeida Residence**  
Tony switches on the TV, but shortly falls asleep when watching it. The sleepless nights are catching up to him.

**Residental Area**  
The man glanced down at his watch, it was almost time to make the call. He watched until the digital red number flicked over to 11:40. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the number of CTU LA. A woman's voice filled his ear.

He said: "You will succumb to our demands, this is the rebirth of our nation, this is just a warning." With that he hung up.

He glanced around at his men giving them the signal to get ready, their target would be there in a few minutes.

**Division**  
Michelle picks up her phone, "Hellen, I need you to send me that watch list now."

"Okay." Hellen Replies flatly.

Michelle hangs up.

**Residental Area**  
Ragen saw the truck, it was about five hundred meters away from the residental area. He raised his weapon. "Now!" He yelled, his voice echoing through the air.

In the next few seconds a barage of bullets hit the truck. Gunfire errupted through the air and after a moment the bullets ignated the oil in the back of the truck causing it to explode. Flames flew through the area debris smashed against the ground sending sparks everywhere.

Ragen nodded, their first objective was complete.

**Division**  
Just as Michelle hungs up the phone, it rang again. she picked it up. "Division, Dessler."

"Michelle it's Chloe, we just got a call from a group of terrorists, look, set your computer to receive, I'll stream you the call."

"Ok." Michelle replies, hastily opening up a command terminal and changing over to superuser, giving her supreme accsess. She opens port eight on her computer and sets it to receive.

**Jack's place**  
After Kim leaves, Jack remembers Tony has had that job interview. He picks up the phone to call him up Tony and ask him how it went. The phone rings.

**The Almeida Residence**  
Tony wakes up to the ringing of the phone, picking it up: "Almeida.Uh, hey Jack. No, no bother at all, I must´ve fallen asleep while watching TV. So what's going on?"

"Not much, I just came home from the hospital. I just wanted to ask you about that interview. How'd it go? What did Michael say?"

"It went OK, he seemed more understanding than the previous interviewers. But we'll see, my record isn't exactly spotless anymore. But, umm, how about you? Your vision getting any better?"

"Well, they said it would take a couple of hours. I'll be back at work tomorrow."

"Yeah. You just can't keep away from all that, can you Jack. Ever heard of sick leave?", he says with a slight chuckle.

Jack smiles. "Yeah... How are things with Michelle?"

"We're trying to work things out.. . As a matter of fact, I should probably call her soon. You take care of yourself, alright Jack?"

"Yeah, I will, Tony. You too. Bye."

**Residential Area**  
Panic ensued, people running about, a strong wind carrying the fumes and the flames threatening to set the adjacent buildings on fire. Firefighters begin arriving, as are the news teams, both on the ground and in the air, choppers covering the biggest news story of the day.

**Division**  
Steve runs up to Michelle's office:  
"Michelle, you might wanna take a look at this!" Steve brings up a report on the big screen for everyone to see. "It seems like a tanker truck exploded near the outskirts of the city!" The staff turns their attention to the screen and they are awaiting Michelle's reaction.

**Jack's place**  
Jack hangs up the phone, and calls up Michael, the guy who Tony has had the interview with. Michael, a tall, black man, leaning in his chair, in an office overlooking the city of Los Angeles, picks up the phone.

"Michael, it's Jack Bauer."

"Hi Jack."

"So how did it go this morning?"

"Jack, I don't know. Treason? I mean, you told me he had spent some time in prison, but..."

"Michael. Look. You know me better than most people. I would never ask anything of you if it wasn't for a good cause. Trust me. Tony Almeida is a good man. He isn't a threat. He just had some bad luck last year, that's all."

"Alright, Jack. I'll think about it.", Michael agrees, though somewhat hesitatingly.

"Thank you. I can't ask for more."

"Sure. Later, Jack."

"Okay." Jack hangs up.

**The Almeida Residence**  
Tony switches the channel and ends up watching the news about the explosion. He picks up the phone in order to call Michelle.

"Michelle, it's me. I went to that interview. No, I don't know yet. The guy said he'd call me back in a few days. How are things there?"

"Busy, as you can imagine. Look hon, I'm gonna have to call you back we're in the middle of something, I'll call you back when I get a chance, ok? I promise. I love you." Michelle says before hanging up and opening the audio file that Chloe sent her.

**Residential Area**  
With the explosion catching everyone's attention, Ragen and his men stealthily retreat and head for an abandoned industrial complex in the suburbs of LA.

**Erin Driscoll's office / CTU**  
From the top floor of CTU, Erin and Brad had been a little detached from the happenings on the main floor. Their meeting is now over, however. Erin stands up and holds the door open for him.

"Alright, Brad, I'll see if we can make those changes." When Hammond walks through, she follows him downstairs and walks towards a very upset-looking Annie, one of the few new techies. "What's going on?"

"Erm... Well, look for yourself." Annie turns her screen towards Erin and Brad, and plays for them the clip that shows the explosion of the truck just outside the city.

"What do we know about how this happened?", Erin asks.

"Not much. But look here..." She pulls up the log files and points to a row of numbers on it. "It looks like Chloe got a phone call from a scrambled cell phone just minutes before this happened." She stands up from her chair and speaks in a low voice. "I think we're either looking at a terrorist act or Chloe is working with someone to infiltrate the government."

Hammond turns to Erin: "Get on this Erin. Call Division and ask them if they have any unusual activities today. Check Chloe's phonelogs for today and see who she's called, then ask her what she knows of this. I have a meeting with District, keep Division in the loop on this."

Hammond leaves CTU.

"Annie, try not to raise any red flags with Chloe. Since you're already on the phonelogs, go through all of them and let me know what you find. I'll get in touch with Division." Having said that, Erin walks back up to her office.

**Division**  
Michelle hastily walked down the stairs to the main floor. "Ok everyone listen up!" Michelle moves over to a computer, she opens the audio file that Chloe sent her and played it for the rest of the team. When the file finished playing Michelle stepped back.

"Obviously this is the first of a wave of attacks, more will follow but they haven't left any demands which means they aren't afraid of killing innocents. I want everyone starting to pipe info over from CTU, FBI, District and Langley, I need everyone to start coordinating with other agencies if we want to get through this. I also want one field team dispatched to the location of the tanker explosion, make sure the police keep away from everything. OK people let's move!"


	2. Back in Play

**Department of Defense**

Secretary of Defense, James Heller, sat at his desk listening to the excuses, he'd heard them all before, it was like being in a school yard. He interrupts the person speaking and leans forward in his chair, looking each one of them in the eye as he speaks.

"O.K. enough, go through this one more time. We need all the information we can get, bring in the FBI if you have to, I don't have time to waste on this, the meeting with the President is tomorrow and he's going to want answers. Clear?"

Three right hand people: "Yes Sir."

"Good, then go."

_Jack, come back_, he thinks to himself, one day and these people are lost. Heller sees Audrey waiting at the door, he waves her in, not that he needs to, she could see he wasn't enjoying himself.

Heller to Audrey: "Did you speak to Jack? How's he doing?"

"Jack is doing fine...he's heading back to his apartment right now to rest for a few hours. I told him I would be over later to go over what he missed today. Everything will be fine, he shouldn't need more than a couple of days to be 100 percent back to his normal self."

"Good to hear, hopefully he'll have a quick recovery, I need him here." , Heller sighs.

**LAX  
**  
An average looking businessman walks through Customs and Immigration, he seems a little nervous. After he clears Customs, he gets into a car and drives away, sighing to himself before he does so.

**Division**

Helen comes over to update her boss. "Hey Michelle, that watchlist mix-up we had. Turns out the name on it belonged to a dead guy. But it also got flagged on the DOD´s terrorist alias list. We're sending it to DOD for confirmation."

Michelle looked at Hellen. "He's dead but he's on a plane?" She asked softly.

Hellen nodded, "Yes thats right," She paused for a moment studying Michelle's face, "you think this has got something today with today's attack?"

Michelle nodded, "This obviously can't be true. We need to work this up as if it were connected to what just happened. Treat it as a priority. As soon as you get answers from the DOD, get it to all the other agencies. We need to find this man as see what's going on. OK?"

"Of course." Hellen nods and hastily walks away. Michelle picks up the phone.

**Jack's place**

Jack turns on the TV, since he can't sleep at this time of day. The news channel shows a report of an explosion and the reporter says:

"The tanker explosion occured on freeway 405, just outside North Hollywood, a few dozen yards from the intersection with the Ventura Freeway. No details have been announced as yet from official sources, but preliminary reports speculate that this might have been a terrorist attack."

"My God." Jack thinks to himself and moves closer to the TV. Dark fumes and a huge fireball fill the screen.

Jack immediately understands that he's not going to have a day off after all. He picks up the phone and dials a number..

**D. O. D.**

Fox News is on at the DOD as well. Heller and his crew are gathered around the TV. "Jack may not get that luxury, have you seen and heard what's happened? Today of all days, terrorists have to creep out of the woodwork.", Heller tells Audrey. "Call him."

But just then, Heller's phone rings, it's Jack.

"Secretary Heller. It's Jack Bauer. Sir, have you been informed about the tanker explosion outside of Los Angeles?... If this was a terrorist act, sir, I assume you're going to need all your people at hand. I'm coming back in."

"Yes Jack, it's just been brought to my attention, no-one seems to know much yet, but we could sure use you here. I'll see you when you arrive."

Replaces the phone. Looks at Audrey.

"Jack's on his way in, I know he might not be able to do much at the moment, but he has contacts and personnally I'd feel more at ease if he was here managing the situation, he has lots of experience in that field.

"Yes, he does." Audrey turns to leave but Heller calls her back.

"Audrey, could you ask someone to bring me some coffee, I have a feeling it's going to be one of those days!"

"Sure."

Jack's place / Almeida residence  
Jack hangs up and dials another number.

"Tony, it's Jack. Listen, there's been an explosion outside North Hollywood. You heard about it?"

Tony picks up the phone after turning down the volume on his TV: "Hey Jack, yeah I was just watching the news. Michelle seemed pretty busy too."

"Look, the DOD needs me back at work immediately. Could you do me a favor? I need to get back to work and I can't possibly drive right now with my eyesight blurred like this. Could you please come pick me up?"

"Sure, I can give you a ride. I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Tony hangs up and picks up his jacket and car keys and heads for the car. He thinks: _Jack's being called in from a day off straight after a surgery and he's got no-one else to call but you, Almeida? Means they've got their hands full at DOD. You'd better be prepared for anything. _Tony turns back from the door and goes to a closet in the bedroom. Opening it, he shoves some chlothes aside and uncovers a SIG P226. Hesitatingly at first, but then decisively, he picks it up, loads a fresh clip in it and then leaves the house.

Jack turns off the TV and starts gathering his things, putting on his shoes. He checks his watch. "Easy, Jack. Tony's coming. The world won't go down over a few minutes.", he tells himself. _But then again, if time ever mattered to anyone, it does to you. Had you only arrived at CTU a couple of minutes earlier that day, Teri would still be alive. _

_No, Jack! You won't go there again! This is over!_, he orders himself. _You've got a new life now, Audrey loves you, doesn't she? You care about eachother. Okay, her father doesn't know about it, but she'll tell him eventually. Just a little time, Jack. Give it time. _

Time. He checks his watch again. Tony's on his way. _Why'd you bring Tony into this, you could have asked anyone from DOD to pick you up?_, he starts cussing himself. _Doesn't Tony have better things to do? Well, guess old habits die hard. You still don't trust anyone else, do you Jack?_ He smirks at himself. _Oh, who knows, maybe Tony'll be glad he's needed, may not be such a bad thing after all._

**CTU**

Annie walks over to Chloe, after checking her phone logs for that morning. She wants to find out something for herself. "Chloe, can I ask you something? How did you find out about this attack?"

Chloe looked at Annie. "I got a call from someone, and I streamed it straight over to Michelle at Division." Chloe raised an eyebrow then frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Annie crosses her arms. "Michelle at Division? Why did you go around Erin? You work for her, not Michelle. You know that."

Chloe closed her eyes, "I don't trust Erin, I trust Michelle, she is a higher rank then Erin, so technically I do work for Michelle, as do you and as does Erin."

Annie takes one step away from Chloe. "Well, you're gonna have to start trusting people around here, Chloe. You're not in the position to make a call like that. This is a military institution, there's a chain of command. I have no choice but to report to Erin that you broke protocol."

Chloe frowns then rolls her eyes. "Did you not hear me?" Chloe asks camly, "I didn't break protocol, if anything I sped it up, by going to Michelle, the intel didn't take an extra half hour to get around the place now, did it? Remember, we work for Erin, but she works for Michelle, so we do as well." She pauses, smiling, "Now if you don't mind, because I know how much you love slowing things down, could you please leave me alone so i can get some work done." With that Chloe turns back to her computer, satisfied that she has shown up Annie's meagar intellect once again.

"Fine, Chloe.", Annie walks to a bathroom, takes out a tape recorder from her pocket, rewinds it and plays a portion of what's on it. _"I don't trust Erin, I trust Michelle, she is a higher rank then Erin, so technically I do work for Michelle_"

"Heh, nice going Chloe.", Annie grins to herself and removes the tape from the tape recorder.

Then she goes up to Erin's office, knocks quickly and enters.

"Erin, you asked me to check up on Chloe? Well, she claims that she was contacted by these people and then instantly went over your head by calling Michelle Dessler at Division. Here's your proof.", she hands her the tape.

"Alright, Annie. Thank you. That would be all.", Erin states, holding the tape in her hand, deciding whether or not to listen to it.

"Okay." Annie goes back to the main floor.

**Jack's place**

Jack finishes packing up, gets a few cases of ammo and his gun ready, throws them onto the pile and picks up the phone. "Michelle, it's Jack. I assume you've got your hands full with what's happened in North Hollywood? Look, we're gonna have to co-ordinate everything we do today. All inter-agency reports are to be updated and sent out as soon as new intel arrives, we can't miss a step here. We have to find out what happened and who is behind this. I have this feeling that this wasn't their primary target. It was just the beginning. Michelle, I'm gonna need everything you've got sent up to the DOD's office here in LA now. I'm going back to work, Tony's picking me up. I'll be there within the hour."

Michelle nodded, "Yeah Jack, the intel is already on its way, should be coming into the DOD database in a few minutes, along with a phone call Chloe got." Michelle was about to hang up but stopped, "Did you say Tony was with you?"

Jack pauses a second. "No, not yet. He'll be here in fifteen. I needed someone to pick me up. Look, I'm sorry for bringing him into this, I just didn't know who else to call."

"No that's OK, Jack," She smiles glad to see Tony is trying harder again, "Can you put him on for a sec when he gets there?"

"Sure, I'll have him call you from the car, ok? Just get me everything. I have to go."

"Ok thanks Jack," With that she hangs up.

Jack hangs up and starts prepping. Tony would be there soon.

**CTU, Erin's office**

Erin listens to the tape of the conversation, then calls up Chloe. "Chloe, I need you in my office, now."

"Look Erin, I'm sort of busy at the moment, can it wait?"

"No, Chloe, it _can't wait_. Set Annie on whatever you're working on and get up here now, that's an order.", Erin says and hangs up.

Chloe slams the phone down. "Set Annie on what you're doing, yeah right, she can't even manage to pick up a pen without dropping it."

She said walking towards the door of Erin's office. When she reached it, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, _oh painful ruler of CTU._" Chloe said the last part of this in her head.

"Chloe, you know what your responsibilites are." , Erin didn't even bother asking Chloe to take a seat. "You work in Field Ops, but you are not heading it. You work for me. I take the information further up the ladder. If you can't bring yourself to obey the rules of this institution, and follow the chain of command, I suggest you resign right now." Erin pauses to let the words take effect. "I am not Jack Bauer, Chloe. I won't tolerate breaking protocol, for whatever reason. I won't tolerate insubordination. Understood?"

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Yes, I understand, but it was also you who said no interuptions while you were in the meeting with Hammond, so I obeyed an order, while speeding things up, so if that isn't following protocol and trying to make everything run smoother, then I don't know what is."

"Don't play me for a fool, Chloe, you know that a terrorist threat supercedes a meeting on adminstrative matters! You should have brought me in on this before going to Division. If you have trust issues, maybe you should apply for a position there. Are we clear?"

"Yes." Chloe turned to leave, not wanting to endure the second-grade-pupil-in-principal's-office-situation any longer, she stopped just as she was about to reach the door, "Oh and thanks for offering me a seat, much appreciated." she added, making no attempt to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

"Go back to work." Erin says dryly and opens up a file folder on her desk, not giving Chloe another look.

**Jack's place / Division**

Tony parks the car, gets out and walks to the door. He knocks on the door and waits. Jack opens the door and walks out. "Hey Tony. Thanks for coming."

"Hey Jack.", he shakes Jack's hand, giving him a meaningful look, as if to thank him for helping him sort things out, then quickly make their way to the car and Tony drives off.

"Tony, Michelle wanted to talk to you earlier. Want me to give her a call?"

"No, I'll call her from my cellphone." Tony dials Michelle's office number. "Hey, it's me. Jack said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes I did. I was pressed for time earlier. How did the job interview go?"

"OK, I suppose. At least he didn't dismiss me outright. I guess he didn't expect a traitor in his office, but he hid it well. Said he'd call me in a few days, but we'll see if he does."

Michelle smiled, "Well that's a start. I'm glad." She paused for a moment, for a minute there it looked like life was starting to work out for them again and she wanted to convince herself into believing it. "Honey, we're rather busy here at the moment so I'm gonna have to go, but I'll talk to you later I promise." She knew from previous experiences that being around Jack wasn't always harmless, which made her add. "One more thing. Please be careful."

Tony could feel a slight smile creeping on to his lips: "Yeah go on. I'm just giving Jack a ride to the DOD office. I'll be fine."

As Michelle hangs up, so does Tony and then he looks at Jack for the first time since he started driving. Jack still looked the same. A lonely wolf, determined, strong-willed, unflinching on his way. Annoyed at the fact that he needed help, but not hesitating to ask for it when he needed it.

Jack was looking out of the window, but felt Tony's eyes on him and turned to him. He smiled slightly but Tony returned his eyes on the road.

**Somewhere in LA**

The businessman from the airport parks the car and walks into a hotel. After having signed in, he goes up to his room. He leaves his briefcase into the hotel safe and locks it.

**Division**

Steve had pulled up surveillance footage from the LAX airport and was going through them, to ID the man from the watchlist. Now, something catches his attention. He prints out the photo and runs up to Michelle's office.

"Michelle. The guy from the watchlist, I went through the surveillance footage and found him, then I compared his picture with everything we had in the database. Here's your ID." He hands her the printed photo. "Jim Smith. Probably not his real name, but look at this. The surveillance at the airport caught him getting in this car. We're working on the number plate, we should have it in a few minutes."

Michelle nods, "OK, patch this through to the other agencies, and let's start working this up, I want it as a top priority."

Steve: "Got it." and then he swiftly goes back to the main floor.

**Tony's car **

_So, playing the driver for a government employee, are you? That's a job you cah do, _Tony tells himself, letting out a laugh, thinking about the few positions he'd applied for and been rejected from since his release._ That guy Michael probably won't call back either, despite Jack, and why would he? You saw his face when you spoke the word "treason". Jack may have influence high up in the ranks, but in this world, your own reputation matters. And you screwed that one up pretty good. _

He still didn't quite understand the evil in saving the life of someone you loved, someone you'd promised to protect in sickness and health, although he had come to the conclusion that the rules were not the same for guys like him. _You knew better, Almeida. You knew better, but how does a man just let his wife die? You couldn't and you would have made the same choice if you had to start over. _

_Would you?_, a voice in his head asked.

"Yeah", he heard himself reply.

Tony shook his head. This was all unimportant now. You have a simple task to accomplish, just drive Jack to the DOD office and head straight back home. That's easy enough to do, even when the label of a traitor sticks on you like glue that can't be dissolved in anything.

The car approached the LA office of the DOD. Jack started gathering his things.

"Thanks for the ride, Tony.", Jack says, as Tony parks the car. "Look, I've been thinking, we could probably use your help, if you wanna stick around for a while, I can make it happen."

Tony sighs deeply, "I don't know Jack. Do you really think they'll let a pardoned traitor into a DOD facility?", he says, not wanting to be reminded of what it used to be like back when he was still valuable to the government, before they dropped him, and knowing that setting foot in this building may get his hopes up, hopes that he might actually be valuable again. Possibly only to be abandoned once more later. "Besides, what could I do. I'm really not up to speed on the latest developments."

Jack looks straight into Tony's eyes. "Tony, I trust you. They trust me. They'll do what I say. Besides, I am sure you can be an asset to us. You still know how things work. I could use someone to co-ordinate between us, CTU and Division and you can run tactical better than anyone here, these people are not used to that. If this turns out to be only the beginning, I'm gonna need your help today. I'm gonna need someone in there that I can really trust."

Tony thinks this through for a long time before replying. _Come on, Almeida, he's been your friend the longest, you owe him to try and help if you can._ "Alright Jack. I'll come with you but if anyone here or at Division resists, I´m stepping down.", Tony says, looking Jack in the eye.

"Fair enough.", Jack agrees and they leave the car, Jack in the lead.

**DOD, temporarary LA office**

Jack and Tony walk into the building. Jack shows his ID to the security guy. "Jack Bauer, I work for Secretary Heller."

The guard checks the ID, then turns to Tony. "Who's this?"

Jack: "That is Tony Almeida, he's a very good friend of mine, he'll be working with us today. I need you to issue him a visitor badge."

"Sir, do you have an ID on you?", the guard asks Tony.

Tony digs out his wallet and takes out his driver's licence. "There."

The guard looks at the licence and nods. "OK, thank you sir. Now if you could fill out this form so that we can get you a visitor badge. "

Tony fills out the form and gets the visitor badge. The guard notices Tony's gun in a holster and stops him. "Sir, I'm gonna need your gun."

Tony's blood freezes at hearing this and he is momentarily unable to reply. _"I'm gonna need your gun." The last time I heard those words was when my life ended._ He closes his eyes briefly, trying to banish the painful memory, feeling his pulse rising. _"Breathe, Tony. It's over."_, he tells himself. _"No, no, it isn't, is it?"_, heckles his conscience.

"No, that's OK.", Jack tells the guard. "I'm vouching for him."

"Alright. Go ahead.", the guard agrees and Jack passes towards the elevator. Tony, still numb, follows him into the elevator and to the office.

Jack leads Tony to his office. They meet Secretary Heller on their way there.

Heller walks up to them, relieved. "Jack. Good to see you. It's been crazy here today.", they shake hands.

"Thank you sir. Secretary Heller, this is Tony Almeida, I brought him in to assist us today."

"Alright, Jack." Heller shakes Tony's hand. As he hears the name Almeida, it sounds very familiar to him, but he doesn't immediately recognize him and tells himself that Almeida is a common Spanish name, that's why it sounds familiar.

"Mr. Secretary.", Tony greets him. He can' t help but notice the secretary's apprehension and suspicion. He can see it in the man's eyes.

"Welcome, Mr. Almeida.", Heller says, and as he does, he suddenly remembers where he'd seen the man before. He turns to Jack again, giving him a quizical look, which Jack notices, and then asks him: "Have you been brought up to speed yet?"

"No, Mr. Secretary, we just came in. Have we received the intel from Division yet?" Jack replies.

"Yes, we have. Pete will brief you on that."

"Good." Jack then turns to Tony. "Tony, go to Conference room 1, I'll meet you there in a minute."

Tony goes to the conference room as Jack asked. It's empty. He sits down and sighs , thinking to himself: _The Secretary clearly doesn't trust me and why should he. Not like he meets a traitor every day. _He buries his head in his hands for a few moments, feeling alone. _You know exactly what Jack is doing right now. Putting his neck on the line again to convince Heller to let you work here. That's the kind of friend Jack is. _

_What are you doing here, Almeida? You really need to prop up your ego like this? What about Michelle? She gonna like this? _He sits up straight again and looks around. "_You wanna stick around or leave? Your choice._", his conscience asks him. After a while, he concludes. _Jack wanted me here, I owe him that much that I help him if I can._

In his office, Jack closes the door behind Heller as they walk in.

Heller stops in the center of the room, turning to Jack.

"Jack! You are bringing a traitor into this building! What were you thinking!"

Jack, who's been expecting this, speaks determinedly. "Sir, please, hear me out. You trust my judgement, don't you?"

Heller crosses his arms. "Yes, Jack, I normally do. But I'm starting to question it at the moment."

"Sir, I would never do anything to jeopardize the integrity of this office, or the safety of our country, you know that. We are going to need every base covered today and I promise you, Tony Almeida is not a threat. The only reason he got convicted is because someone wanted to make an example of him." Jack pauses for a couple of seconds. "Sir, you know my history. You know that I had been put in a similar situation as he had been placed in, and that I had made a similar decision. No-one accused me of treason."

"This is not the same, Jack. He hasn't only been accused, he has been _convicted_.", Heller underlines the last word.

"_And pardoned_. By the President.", Jack underlines every word.

Heller shakes his head. "Because _you asked him to_, Jack."

"Yes, but David Palmer would never have done it if he hadn't thought it was the right thing to do. Sir, no-one forced his hand."

Heller thinks this over for a minute. "Alright Jack. See if Almeida can help us. But if anything goes wrong..."

"It won't." Jack pauses, but Heller's uncertainty makes him add "Secretary Heller, I am taking full responsibility for his being here today.", Jack replies, fully prepared to take whatever consequences might face him if he failed but knowing that Tony would not let him down.

Heller eyes Jack for a moment longer, then without further words leaves Jack's office. Jack waits another second or two, then follows Heller out and heads towards the conference room.


	3. Secret Meetings

**DOD, Conference room**

Tony lifts his head as Jack and Heller walk in, followed by someone else.

"Tony." Jack gestures to the new guy. "This is Pete Hanson. He'll walk us through the facts. Pete, Tony Almeida. He'll be co-ordinating the information flow. I want you to give him the necessary clearance to access everything we have from Division and CTU. He answers directly to me."

"Yes, Sir.", Pete replies and he and Tony shake hands as Tony stands up for a moment.

Heller takes a seat at the head of the table, Jack sits opposite Tony, Pete remains standing.

"Alright, Pete. What do we know?", Heller asks.

**Division / CTU**

"Helen, where are you on the number plate? Got anything yet?", Steve asks her as he joins her at her desk.

"Yeah. Only a part of it is visible, FNC-24, I can't quite make out the last number, but I'll keep trying."

"Alright, I want you to send this to cross-check this with the DMV database, let me know when you find the holder."

Steve picks up the phone.

"Chloe, it's Steve over at Division. We've got a partial number of the car. Foxtrot-November-Charlie-2-4. It's a black Ford Explorer. Got that?... OK, can you see if you can pick it up on satellite? We're searchiing through the DMV database. Check CalTrans traffic cameras too."

"Yeah; I'll let you know if anything comes up." Chloe logs into the DMV system and begins the search.

**DOD, Conference room**

Pete has set up his computer and a projector and he begins the briefing: "OK... Here is what we know so far with the information gathered from our inter-agency sources:

Around 11:24 am today, the name Greg Cradock was red-flagged on the FBI's no-fly watchlist. At first the analysts thought it was a mistake since the name belonged to a dead man," Pete projects the ID of the deceased man on the screen, "but upon cross-checking with our lists, it turns out this name was also on the dormant terrorist alias watchlist."

Pete projects a Fox News report next, showing firefighters trying to put out the fire from the explosion. "At 11:40 am, CTU LA received a phone call from a man talking about the rebirth of the nation and saying "this" was only a warning of things to come. Shortly thereafter a tanker truck carrying 10 000 gallons of gasoline exploded outside a residential area at an LA suburb, as a result of an obvious terrorist attack. We assume the attack was carried out by using 50 caliber sniper rifles and other weapons. The perpetrators are still unknown and at large."

"At 12:03 pm we have security footage from LAX, with an unknown male coming into the country using the said alias. He was last seen entering a car on the LAX parking lot." Pictures of the man passing the custorms area and entering a vehicle are shown. "We were unable to apprehend him at the time because he had already left the airport by the time he was ID'd. He came up a Jim Smith, although there is a possibility that this name is fake. CTU and Division are working with local authorities to locate the vehicle and confirm his ID. We are currently investigating the possibility that these two incidents are connected."

Jack glances up from the notepad he had been taking notes on. "Who is in contact with CTU and Division?"

"I am.", Pete confirms.

"I want you working closely with Tony.", Jack instructs him.

"Yes, sir.", Pete nods and Jack continues.

"Our first priority is finding this man from the airport. Tony, get in touch with CTU and Division and see if they have anything new on him. We need to ID that man and find him now." Tony nods in agreement.

"Is there anything else?", Heller asks Pete.

"No, Sir. We are expecting an update from CTU in 15 mintues."

"Alright, then get to work." Heller stands up and walks towards the door. "Pete, make sure Mr. Almeida has the access that he needs."

"I will, Sir."

The four men stand up to go about their work, when Tony walks up to the Secretary taking him aside for a moment:"Umm. Sir, I know this wasn't an easy decision to let me here today, but I assure you that I will do everything I can to help to stop these people. I hope I can prove that to you. Thank you."

Heller briefly glances at Jack before replying. "Jack believes you can be a real asset to us, Mr. Almeida, and I am willing to accept any help within reason. Just don't let me down."

"No Sir. Now if you'll excuse me. I need to get to work."

Heller nods and walks out.

Tony turns to Pete: "I need you to get me in contact with CTU and Division, ASAP. We need to know where they are on tracking this guy."

"Will do."

"Jack, where are you going to be in case I need to reach you?"

"My office, right down the hall." Jack walks to the door, then faces Tony again.

"Thank you Tony." Jack smiles slightly to himself. _Just like old times_.

Tony nods: "Yeah." _We'll see if I'll regret it, but you're welcome for now._, he thinks.

Then Jack leaves the conference room.

Back in his office, Jack places his case and laptop on his desk, and, still standing, dials Erin's number.

"Erin, it's Jack Bauer."

"Hello, Jack." Erin gets up from her chair and walks to the glass wall of her office, looking down at the main floor.

"Erin. That phonecall CTU received this morning, about the attack, who was it placed to?"

"Chloe O'Brien."

"Have you been able to pinpoint the location of the caller yet?"

"Yes, it came from a cell phone, we have been able to trace the signal to North Hollywood. LAPD found the phone on the roof of a building we assume was where the tanker was shot at."

"So does that phone help us at all?"

"Not really, Jack. No prints have been found and it has no numbers saved in the directory. It's clean."

Jack sits down, turning on his computer. "OK, what are you working on now?"

"We've just received confirmation from Division. They've ID'd the man who was spotted at the airport earlier today and we have a partial number plate of the car he escaped in. We are trying to locate him as we speak. I'll send the file over to you."

"Alright, thanks. Keep me posted. I wanna know as soon as you've tracked him down."

"I will."

"Erin, one more thing. I have Tony Almeida working with me here at the DOD. I want CTU co-operating on all levels with him and us."

"Jack, are you sure about..."

"Erin, I don't wanna hear it! Secretary Heller has agreed to this, you are not in position to disagree."

"Alright Jack.", Erin sighs. "I'll keep you posted."

"Thank you." Jack hangs up and takes a good look around the room. His vision is stiill a little blurry, but it's getting better.

As Erin hangs up the phone, for a moment there she almost regrets her decision to fire Jack. At least while he was working for her, she was _his_ superior. _Luckily, you don't have to deal with him on a daily basis any more._, she thinks to herself.

Tony walks to a com-room with Pete and after starting up a terminal, he picks up the phone, dialing the number to Division: "This is Tony Almeida, Jack Bauer asked me to act as a liason between you and the DOD. So I need an update. Where are you on tracking down the man from the airport? Anything from Caltrans or LAPD?"

"This is Steve Sheldon, I will be co-ordinating things from our end. We have an ID on the man from the airport. It's a Jim Smith, I'm not sure if that's his real name, but we did manage to pull some satellite footage of the car he escaped in and we got the licence plate number. I sent everything over to CTU, they are trying to locate him now. You'll need to talk to Chloe O'Brien about any progress they might have made in the last few minutes."

"Alright, thanks Steve. Look, keep me informed if anything comes up."

"Sure."

Having set up in his office again, Jack tries Audrey's number, but she doesn't pick up. He places his phone on the desk, then accesses the files on the DOD server and starts reading through them. There might have been something they missed.

Several moments later, his cell phone rings. He picks up. "This is Jack Bauer."

"Come to the Griffith Observatory park. Be there in 20 minutes."

"Who is this?", Jack asks.

"A friend. I can't stay on any longer, Jack, your people will trace the call." The line disconnects.

Jack instantly grabs his cell phone and car keys, and leaves his office. "Mark!", he calls to a tall man, obviously one of the guards on Heller's staff. "You're coming with me, now."

Mark obeys instantly, grabs his gun and follows Jack. In the elevator, he chances a question. "Where are we going?"

"Griffith Observatory. We have 20 minutes. We're following a lead. I need you to drive and watch my back.. Can you do that?"

"Sure, Jack."

"Good." 

Jack checks that he has a fresh clip in his gun, then holsters the weapon and silently waits for the elevator to stop.

When it stops at the ground floor, Jack and Mark quickly leave the building, climb into a government SUV and Mark drives off, while Jack looks out of the window, still visibly annoyed that his vision is not 100 and aware that this might be a very dangerous situation. He mentally curses himself for choosing this day for his treatment.

**DOD / CTU  
**  
Tony dials the number to CTU.

"CTU, Annie Bradley.", Annie picks up while glancing up at Erin's office.

"This is Tony Almeida. I've been given authority by Secretary Heller to coordinate the information flow between the agencies. I need input from your end. Division said you are trying to locate Jim Smith. Are you getting anything from Caltrans? I heard you have some satelite footage of him. Have you ran Smith's picture through the databases to come up with a positive ID? We need to find him ASAP, because he might have intel on where these terrorists strike next and who they are."

"Yeah, we're working on it. We're tracking him down on satelite feeds, we're making good progress. We should have a location in a few minutes. We've already sent everything we have over to the DOD server. I'll send his location directly to your computer, just open up a new directory."

**Unknown hotel in LA  
**  
The man is just stepping out of the shower, he dries himself and looks at himself from the mirror but decides not to shave. He gets dressed in black slacks and a shirt. He doesn't seem to be in any hurry, feeling safer at the hotel room than he did at the airport.

After this, he gets his cellphone and dials: "Yeah it's me. The meeting is still a go. In about two hours. Yes."  
He puts the phone back on the table and starts up his computer.

**DOD / SUV  
**  
Tony opens up the directory and starts sorting through the intel Annie sent him. As he is sorting through it a new update from CTU comes in announcing the location of the businessman.

Tony tries calling Jack in his office but not getting a reply, he dials Jack's cellphone:

"Jack, it's Tony. Where are you? We just got a location on the guy from LAX. "

"Tony, I got a call a few minutes ago. I'm on my way to Griffith Observatory to meet a contact. I don't know who it is yet. Sorry I had to leave like that, but he gave me no time to waste. I'm meeting him in about 10 minutes."

"Copy that. Wait a minute, Griffith Observatory? This Smith guy is staying at the Oakwood Worldwide Riverside Park, that's near Griffith Park. I'm about to have CTU dispatch tactical teams to the site." Tony sighs to himself. This has the makings of something he'd rather not believe. "Be careful Jack, this might be a trap."

"Yeah..." Jack pauses for a moment. Coincidences are rare in his line of work.. "Alright, Tony, send CTU tactical to the hotel, but make sure they stay covered. You have to make absolutely certain that we're hacked into the surveillance system of the hotel before _anyone_ goes in and that we're following Smith's footsteps in real time. Don't do anything until it's absolutely confirmed that he's inside that building. I'll be there as soon as I can. I have to see what information I can get out of this informant. If this is a live lead, I have no time to waste."

"OK, Jack. Pete is having LAPD establish a soft perimeter around the hotel, Tom Baker is leading the tac teams, I'll let him know about the stealthy approach. CTU has already been in contact with the head of security at the hotel. We'll have full access to their security cams. We're sending all the information to Division for their logs as well. CTU should notify you as soon as they have confirmation that Smith is in the building."

"OK, Tony, thank you. Great work. Let's make sure we get him."

"Yeah. We will." Tony hangs up with Jack and then calls Baker.

"Baker, it's Tony Almeida. What's your status?"

"We're ready when you are.", Baker answers, hiding with his men inside a parking lot opposite the hotel.

"Alright. Make sure your men stay hidden.We don't want to scare this guy off."

"Yeah, we're at a concealed location inside a parking lot, we'll be waiting for the go from CTU."

"OK, copy that... CTU will let you know as soon as we have confirmation that he's in the building. Stay low until then."

"Copy and out."

**DOD SUV  
**  
"So, Jack.. Where are we meeting this guy?", Mark asks, as he approaches the premises of the Griffith Observatory.

"I'm not sure.", Jack answered as he adjusted his sunglasses and once more made sure his gun was where it was supposed to be. "Mark, I don't know who these people are, and I don't want to scare this guy away. I want you to stay at a distance, observe the ground, alright? I'll try to stay in sight."

"Yeah. But I thought you wanted me there to watch your back."

"I do. I just don't want you too close. If Tony is right, and this is a trap, at least one of us should get out, understood?"

"Whatever you say, Jack.."

**CTU  
**

Erin comes down from her office. "Where are we on catching this guy Smith? Someone give me an update, now!"

Annie calls over to Erin. "We're using the hotel's surveillance to track him. We've just gotten confirmation that he's still in his room."

"Alright, get that to the teams on site."

"Right away." Annie connects to Baker and Tony: "Baker, come in."

"This is Baker."

"We've got confirmation. The room is 1013. He's still in there." Annie sends the live feed over to Tony's computer at the DOD and to Tom's panel.

"This is the view from the cameras outside his room, the floor has been evacuated, all is quiet. And here..." she sends another feed "...real-time footage from an apartment opposite the hotel. Smith has the curtains closed so they're obstructing the view but infrared shows us one person moving in the room. He should be alone in there. He never left the room since he arrived."

"Copy that." Baker switches the channel: "Tony, how do you want us to proceed?"

**Griffith Observatory  
**  
Jack puts an earpiece in his right ear, exits the car and walks slowly towards the monument that dominates the front part of the park in front of the Observatory.

"Mark, do you copy?", he says quietly, turning away from the bulk of people.

"Loud and clear, Jack."

"Okay. I'll wait by the Monument. I should have a clear view of the surroundings from there.", he says as he begins walking towards the white obelisk in the centre of the lawn.

**DOD  
**  
Tony is watching the video-feed from the hotel halls and corridors.

"Baker, do you copy?"

"Affirmative."

"Alright. This guy seems to be in his room right now, but we don't know when he's leaving. I need you to position your men around the floor's exits, minimum three men per exit and then get an entry team standing by at his door. See if you can get him to open the door by posing as hotel staff. If not, initiate a full breach. We don't want to alarm the other residents of the hotel. Try to do this as stealthily as possible."

"Copy that, Tony. We need three minutes to set up. I'll get back to you."

**Division**

Steve walks up to Michelle's office. "Michelle, the teams are about to strike, you want me to put the live feed to your office?"

"Yes."

Steve exits.

**Griffith Observatory  
**

Jack stands by the monument, there aren't too many people in the park. He glances around, no-one particular catches his attention.

Mark leaves the car and walks over to the main staircase in front of the Observatory, and sits down on the highest step. "I got nothing, Jack.", he utters, keeping his head low.

"Copy that.". Then, a car pulls up nearby. Jack turns away. "Mark. Black sedan at two o'clock."

"Yeah, I've got 'em."

When Jack turns around to face the vehicle, three men exit the car. Two stay behind, surveying the area, while the third man continues walking toward Jack.

Jack removes his sunglasses. "Are you the one who called?", he asks.

"Yes.", the man replies curtly. "If you'll allow me.", he says as he starts to check Jack for wires. Jack stands still until he's done, then puts out another question. "Who are you?"

"Let's not waste time here, Jack.", the man says. "You don't need to know that."

"Alright, what _do_ I need to know? You said you have some information."

"Yes, I do. But first, I want you to do something for me."

Jack eyes the man carefully. _Who is this guy? What does he want? _He thinks this over for just a second. "What is it?"

The man grins.

**District  
**  
Brad Hammond is at District, stuck in a meeting. They take a small break and he decides to call Division for an update.

"This is Brad Hammond, patch me through to Dessler." He waits impatiently to be connected. "Michelle, what's the status on the operation?", he finally asks.

"Brad. We have been able to locate the man we flagged at the airport, CTU field teams are in the process of apprehending him now. The op is about to begin."

"Has DOD been brought in, and who is their liason?"

"We're in contact with the DOD. Secretary Heller asked Tony to act as their liason.", she sighs inwardly, knowing he won't like hearing this.

"What! How'd that happen?"

"It happened, Brad. I didn't put him there, Heller did.", Michelle sighs.

Brad shakes his head, but lets go, because he is called back into the meeting. "Alright, let me know when the suspect yields any new infomation."

**Griffith Observatory  
**

Jack's face is a cold mask as he stands wordlessly, facing the man opposite him. "That is out of the question.", he finally replies, puts on his sunglasses, turns to leave and begins to walk away.

"Jack!" The man calls to him. "Jack, you cannot afford to miss out on what I have to say. You have no choice, Jack."

"NO!", Jack stops and turns around, pointing his finger at the man. "There _has _to be another way."

"Great. Then go.", the man says. "And hundreds and thousands of people will die."

Jack closes his eyes for a second. He cannot condemn all those people to death. He approaches the man again. "Fine. You are going to tell me everything I need to know. And I'll deliver David Palmer's head to you. Start talking."


	4. Informants and Information

**Oakwood Worldwide Riverside Park / DOD **

"Tony, we're on the floor, it's been evacuated. We're ready to make an entry.", Baker begins his report. "Are we still a go?"

"Yes. Baker, we no longer have infrared coverage of the apartment. You're on your own..."

"Copy that."

Baker and his men silently move down the corridor, towards Smith's hotel room. Baker positions a fiberoptics camera inside the keyhole of the door and moves it a little, checking his panel as he does so. He sees Smith sitting at a table behind a computer. Silently, he pulls the camera out of the keyhole and moves away a few steps, speaking into his two-way. "I have a visual on the target.", he confirms. "Initiating takedown."

The transmission is viewed by Tony at the DOD, Michelle and the rest of staff at Division and the entire CTU. They see the entry team ready by the door.

Taking care not to stand directly in front of the door, Baker knocks on the door. "Mr. Smith?... Mr. Smith, this is the hotel manager. I'm sorry to bother you, Sir, but there is a problem with the electrical circuits on the floor, may I ask you to leave the room until it's been fixed? It's a security measure, Sir." He waits a beat. No response. "Mr. Smith?"

A few seconds later, he moves aside and motions to his men to kick the door in. The team find themselves in the room in a matter of seconds. Through the shouts that follow, it's hard to understand anything as the men secure the room and the bathroom.

"Baker, come in!", Tony says.

After a while, Baker reports. "The room is clear. There's no-one here."

"What? What the hell do you mean he's not there! He's not Houdini for God's sake." Tony says, exasperated. "Son of a bitch. Search the room and the floor again, he has to be there."

"Copy. Out." The men swarm out, searching every corner of the room for the second time.

Baker glances out the window and notices a shoeprint on the windowsill, looks up and sees a silhouette moving up on the fire escape. He signals to three his men to follow him and instructs the rest: "He's moving up! Team A take the elevator, Team B take the staircase to the roof." Then the four agents start after Smith.

**Griffith Observatory**

Jack is walking back to the SUV and enters the vehicle. Mark waits until the other men drive off, then gets up from the staircase where he'd been sitting and joins him. "Jack... What are you gonna do?"

Jack sighs. "I dunno." _Killing David Palmer is not an option, Jack, you know that. But this information cannot be shared with anyone. What do you do?_ Jack sits there for a few moments, watching the black sedan disappear from view, then makes a decision and turns to Mark: "Follow them."

"What?"

"Follow them.", Jack repeats decisively.

Reluctantly and still puzzled, Mark follows Jack's order. He puts the car in drive and starts down the hill, behind the sedan.

**Oakwood Worldwide Riverside Park Hotel, the roof **

Baker sees Smith, trying to open up the door that leads back inside the hotel. "Hold it right there!", Baker shouts as the other three men join him. "Smith! You're surrounded, there's nowhere left to run!"

Smith moves away from the door, but does not turn around, contemplating a way out. At that moment, the door to the roof opens and the remainder of the field team swarms out, taking Smith at gunpoint. "Put the weapon down! Get down on the ground! NOW!", Baker shouts.

Defeated, Smith raises his hands, lowers his weapon and turns around, getting down on his knees. At that, two of Baker's men cuff him and lead him away.

Baker holsters his pistol and reaches for his radio. "CTU, this is Baker. Smith is in custody. I repeat, Smith is in custody."

**DOD**  
Tony sighs as he hears the good news. "Good job Baker. Give my regards to your men."

Tony turns around to Pete:

"The tactical team is going to be here in 15 minutes. Could you prepare a room that is appropriate for interrogation?"

"Right away.", Pete immediately leaves the comm room.

Tony dials Jack's cellphone: "Jack, we got Smith."

"Great, Tony. Bring him in. Take him to the DOD office. I wanna talk to him myself."

"Copy that Jack. I'll relay that information to Baker."

"Alright, thanks. Tony, look, I've got something to take care of here. I'll be in touch." Jack hangs up.

**Division **

Michelle turns to her staff. "Alright, we got him. Which means we have to break him. Start putting together an interrogation profile. Find out where they're bringing Smith to. Contact Tony Almeida at the DOD and coordinate with CTU. Alright?"

The entire floor nods. She turns around and heads back to her office.

**DOD SUV**  
The black sedan ahead of Jack's vehicle approaches a closed railway crossing. It stops. Mark stops behind that car. From a distance, a train is approaching.

Jack stares at the car in front of them, lowers his eyes for a second, looks at Mark.

"Mark. Drive forward."

"What!", a shocked Mark exclaims.

"Do it. Step on the gas, now." _Don't make me repeat myself again!_

"Jack, you're out of your mind. You can't..."

"DAMMIT, MARK, JUST DO IT!", Jack reaches over to Mark and presses Mark's leg down with his left hand, the car starts with a screech and bumps into the sedan from behind, starting to push it towards the booms.

The men from the car start firing at Jack's SUV, Jack returns fire with his free hand. The sedan slides forward more and more, until it's on the railway lines. At that moment, the train arrives and honks. Nothing helps. It drives straight against the sedan, which instantly blows up.

Mark sits there in shock, breathing heavily, unable to move.

Jack closes his eyes for several seconds. "I couldn't sacrifice David Palmer. I just couldn't.", he utters, knowing full well that he not only betrayed the trust of an informant, but also lost the confidence of a co-worker and that both of these actions might backfire.

**split screen **  
Smith sits at the back of the SUV, cuffed, between two tactical team members, seemingly emotionless.

Tony is in contact with the tactical teams .

"Yeah, CTU knows you're transporting the suspect here. They're sending Richards here in case Smith doesn't respond to interrogation. What's your ETA? OK, got it."

Tony hangs up and opens up a channel to CTU.

Baker, in the passenger's seat, turns to Smith. "Hey, Smith. Is that your name? Smith? See, I'm going to give you a choice here. You can either talk to me, right now, without pressure, or you can talk to some much less pleasant guys later on under different circumstances." Smith shows no reaction. Though Tom doesn't really expect an answer, he tries again. "Look, just tell me what you came here for."

Baker waits a few moments. It's not like he expected this guy to talk anyway. "Alright. Your choice." He leans back in his seat.

**split screen **

Tony picks up the ringing phone.

"Almeida."

It's Michelle. "Hey. So we got Smith?"

"Yeah, we did.", Tony confirms.

"Where are they taking him?"

"Jack wanted him here. They'll be here in 15 minutes."

"OK, look, I've got some of my people prepping an interrogation profile for Smith. You can contact Helen if you need it, alright?"

"Yeah, I'll let Jack know. Thanks."

"Good. And you? You OK?", she asks, not entirely unconcerned about him being at the DOD.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.", he nods. "I haven't been given a hard time, if that's what you mean.",

Pete walks to the room. "I've got room 214 ready for Smith."

"Alright, Pete, thanks.", Tony says. "Uhm, look, I gotta go.", he says to Michelle silently, somewhat embarassed, turning away from Pete.

"Yeah, go on. You know where to find me.", she sighs, still uncomfortable about the whole situation.

"Yeah." Tony hangs up.

**DOD SUV **

Jack exits the car, and walks over to the driver's side, opening the door. "Move over, Mark."

Mark doesn't react, still staring straight ahead.

"Mark, move over, come on."

Mark jerks, as if waking up from a dream and gives Jack a puzzled look. "Get in the passenger's seat.", Jack urges him.

"Jack, you can't drive."

"Neither can you. My vision is still better than your mental condition at the moment. Don't make me ask you again, please."

Hesitatingly, Mark exits the car and starts walking round the back, when a bullet fired from an approaching vehicle hits him between the eyes and he drops to the ground.

Jack instinctively dives for cover behind the open car door, then moves inside and drives off quickly. He radios Tony. "Tony, it's Jack. Mark is dead. I'm being followed. I'm in a DOD vehicle, hook onto the GPS chip, find me the best route to get through the city and get these guys off my back."

"Alright Jack, hang on. We still have tactical units in the area. I'm going to redirect them to your location and get Chloe to find you the best route."

Tony contacts the remaining units. "This is Tony Almeida, I need you to redirect your course to Pandora Avenue, we have a code 12. The target vehicle is a silver DOD SUV, intercept the vehicles following it and apprehend the occupants. Caution, they are armed and dangerous."

"Copy that, Almeida, we're en route to Pandora Avenue, we're just a few blocks away."

"Alright."

Tony switches the channel on the comm. "Chloe, Jack is being pursued by someone. I need you to get a fix on his location and find him the fastest route here. The GPS locator chip identifier is Echo-Sierra-Bravo 877."

"OK Tony, Give me a second, will you" Chloe says, irritated. "Found him, he´s on Pandora Avenue going south. Looking for the fastest route now."

"Good. As soon as you got it, send it in the DOD directory here so I can get it to Jack." Again, Tony contacts Jack. "Jack, the closest vehicle should be able to intercept your course in a couple of minutes."

Chloe: " Tony, I'm sending the route over to the DOD server now, should be in your directory in a moment."

"Alright, look I need you to check if we had any satelites in the area when this started. In case we can find something about these vehicles."

Jack to Tony: "Tony, where are they coming from? North or South?"

"You need to turn right to Santa Monica Blvd, they should come right towards you."

"Copy that." Jack makes the turn. "Alright, I have a visual on the vehicles."

"Good, they'll cut these guys off and corner them if possible."

The teams drive towards Jack and then past him. Jack turns into another street and sees traffic closing ahead. "Alright, get me through this traffic."

Tony: "Do you have the system ready? I'll send the route Chloe gave me onto your computer."

"Give me a sec..." Jack turns on the display in his car "Yes, I'm ready. Send it."

Tony sends him the route. "There. You got it?"

"Got it. Thanks."

Chloe: "Tony, tell Jack there's some minor construction on the Vermont Ave ramp."

Tony: "OK, Chloe thanks. Jack, there's some contruction around the Vermont Avenue ramp, but nothing that should slow you down considerably."

"Copy. Did the tactical team intercept these guys yet? The orders are shoot to wound."

"Yeah they intercepted them already, but they killed themselves before our agents got there."

"Dammit. Alright, Tony. I'm coming out on Vermont now. I'm going around that construction site."

"You should be a couple of miles from Wilshire. They should have a detour there onto Wilshire. You're almost here Jack."

"Yeah. Thanks. Good work. I'm coming in now. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Copy that. Baker should be here shortly with Smith, and Richards is on his way from CTU."

"Good.", Jack says, as he continues towards the building the DOD has a few offices in.

**DOD offices**

Baker's team arrives at CTU. Baker leaves the car and opens the back door. The team members exit. Baker personally drags Smith out of the car and pushes him forward towards the building. The other two men follow.

Baker IDs himself to the guard on duty. "Agent Baker, CTU. We're bringing in a suspect. DOD is informed."

"Alright, just a sec." the guard makes a quick phonecall upstairs and hands Baker the ID. "OK, you're clear. Seventh floor."

"Thanks."

Baker pushes Smith ahead and all five men enter the elevator. Baker radios Tony. "Tony, we're in the building."

"Alright.", Tony says and leaves the comm room.

Upstairs, the elevator opens and the CTU team with Smith walks out. Tony greets Baker, shaking his hand. "Tom. Good job. We've got room 214 ready for him. Bring him there, Jack will be here any minute."

"OK, got it. I'll stay with him until Jack gets here."

"Yeah."

Tony strides down the corridor with the CTU team, then, in front of the comm room, he gestures to Baker to continue straight forward and enters his temporary office.

Baker easily finds room 214 and opens it. There's a table and a couple of chairs and a voice recorder on the table. Baker leads Smith inside and has him sit on one of the chairs. He looks around the room and satisfied, nods to his men to leave. "You guys can take a break. I'll wait for Jack."

The men leave and Tom sits down on the table, eyeing Smith.

**DOD  
**

Jack walks out of the elevator. Pete meets him in the corridor.

"Jack, CTU just brought in the suspect. He's in 214, right down the hall."

"Good, thanks."

Pete looks around "Where's Mark?"

"He's dead."

"What?"

"I'll explain later. Where's Tony?"

"Comm room 1."

"OK."

Jack continues down the corridor to the comm room and enters. "Tony. Thanks for helping me out there."

Tony turns and sees Jack enter. "No problem. We both know I owe you as much." he says. "So, uh, you want to tell me what happened there? Somehow I think that wasn't just a case of random road rage. What did that informant say?"

Jack looks Tony in the eye but shakes his head. "Nothing."

"Come on, Jack. Something big happened out there, otherwise you wouldn't have had two black SUV's with professionals chasing ya. What did that informant tell you?"

"Nothing, Tony. He was a no-show. You were right, it was a trap. I should have called for backup from the start." _I'd like to tell you, my friend, but I can't. You'll understand later._

Tony sighs, he knows Jack well enough to notice he's not completely honest. "Alright, look... if you don't want to go on the record with this, fine. But this can be something essential when tracing who's behind this. Besides I think you owe it to Mark to come clean with this."

"There's nothing _to_ come clean with, Tony, alright? _No-one was there_." Jack emphasises these last words, then pauses, staring into Tony's eyes. "Now, this guy Smith is in 214, I'm gonna head over there to interrogate him. I want you to contact Division, see if they've got anything new, and see if Chloe got anything off that phonecall she got this morning apart from the location, OK?"

Tony knows arguing with Jack won't lead anywhere. "Yeah, OK... I think you're making a mistake, Jack."

Jack seemingly ignores this comment and curtly replies. "I'll be in 214."

Tony nods. "Yeah."

Jack walks out of the room.

**DOD corridor**

Audrey, who was standing in the corridor, having just left her father's office, looks up from her paperwork at the sound of a door opening. It was Jack, walking out of the comm room, looking pale like he was going to faint. She walks to him, concerned.

"Jack, are you alright?"

"Hey.", Jack smiles at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm fine, just glad to see you're doing alright. What happened?"

Jack sighs, serious now. "Mark is dead. I only got away with my life thanks to Tony and CTU." Having to drive a car before his eyes completely recovered didn't help and Jack can feel a slight spell of dizziness trying to overwhelm him, but he resists, knowing there's no time for a break now. "Tell Secretary Heller he made the right choice by letting Tony work here today."

"Alright I will." Audrey smiles. "So, what are you doing next?"

"I'm going to interrogate this guy CTU brought in from the hotel, see if he can be of any use, hopefully I can squeeze some information out of him. Look, I gotta go. I'll see you later, ok?", Jack excuses himself, slightly touching her hand as he says the last words. He feels like he wants to give her a hug, but reminds himself : _Not at work._

"OK.", Audrey answers, smiling and softly squeezing his hand before letting go of it.

Jack turns to leave, then, giving her another glance and a smile over his shoulder, walks towards room 214.

**DOD, 214 **

Jack knocks on the door of room 214, Tom Baker comes out and closes the door behind him.

"Tom.", Jack greets him and shakes his hand. "Well done."

"Thanks, Jack. You alright?"

"Yeah. Is he in there?", Jack asks, tilting his head towards the room.

"Yes, he is."

"Has he talked yet?"

"No. Not a damn word."

"Alright. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to turn off the surveillance in this room, go to Tony in Comm 1. Then I need you to stay outside and keep everyone out of here until I tell you otherwise. Understood?"

"Yeah.", Tom nods.

"OK. Go."

Baker dashes off to see Tony, while Jack remains standing in front of room 214 for a few more moments.

"Tony." Baker says as he enters the communication room. "Turn off surveillance in 214."

Tony starts typing away at the laptop provided for him: "Alright, give me a moment." He logs into the surveillance system and makes a few clicks. "There."

"Great, thanks", Baker replies and goes off.

As Jack sees Baker coming back down the hall, he slowly opens the door and enters the room, instantly making eye contact with Smith and not losing it for one second as he moves towards him to the far end of the room.

Slowly, as if to make a point, he takes off his suit jacket and places it over the backrest of a chair in the room, then loosens his tie and starts rolling up his sleves, all the while trying to think of the best way to approach this guy. He hasn't viewed the interrogation profile Division put together, but he trusts that his experience as an interrogator will be enough to break the man and find out what he knows.

Smith stares at Jack, his face impassive.

Jack turns a chair around, so that the backrest is in front of him and sits down, still glaring at Smith.

After a while, Jack puts out a question. "Who are you?"

Smith scoffs a little and then answers. "I thought you had my passport. It says it right there: James Smith."

"Yeah, I know what it _says_.", Jack answers. "And I'll ask you again: _Who - are you?_"

Smith remains silent, looking at Jack.

_Wanna play tough, dontcha?_ "OK, let's try another question." Jack gets up this time and starts pacing the room. "Why are you in Los Angeles?"

"I'm a businessman. I'm here to meet my associates.", Smith answers neutrally.

"Who are these associates?", Jack continues, now behind Smith, still walking slowly around him..

"That would be betraying their trust. Corporate secrets." he says with a smug look on his face.

"Stop playing games with me!", Jack shouts, hitting Smith across the face with the butt of his gun and then grabs him by the hair, glaring directly at him as he continues speaking. "A 10,000 gallon tanker truck exploded this morning, half a mile away from a densely populated area. I know you had something to do with it, because your name popped up in a file connecting you to the attack! So don't tell me you don't know anything about it! I wanna know who you're meeting, when and why! NOW!" Jack lets go of Smith's head, giving it a push as he does so.

Smith raises his still cuffed hands to his face, wiping the blood off his cheek and spitting some of it out.

Staring at Jack he says: "I don't know anything about any tanker truck."

Tony connects to the speaker in the room. "Jack, Richards just got here. You want me to sent him in?"

"No." Jack answers, his voice cold. _I'll break this son of a bitch if it's the last thing I do._

Jack removes his pistol from the holster, raises the weapon, presses the barrel against Smith's shoulder and pulls the hammer back. "See, I know you're lying. The tanker truck explosion was all over the news. You would have at least heard about it. I'm gonna give you one last chance before I blow away every single one of your limbs, one by one. Who are you meeting?"

"I can't tell you.", Smith answers, certain that the man is bluffing. _This is a government building, he can't do that_., he tells himself.

Jack stares directly at Smith and pulls the trigger, yelling: "WHO ARE YOU MEETING!"

Smith screams in agony and awkwardly tries to grab his arm, the cuffs preventing him from doing it. "They'll kill me if I tell you", he says, gasping for breath.

"Who is _they_!" Jack pushes Smith off the chair and slowly brings his foot down on Smith's wounded shoulder. "WHO IS _THEY_? Talk to me you son of a bitch or you won't have the time to worry about _them_.", he yells.

Tony has heard the gunshot and comes into the room after arguing with Baker. He sees Smith on the floor screaming and looks at Jack in shock, realizing Jack hasn't changed a bit since he stopped working in the field.

"Jack, what the hell are ya doing? You're supposed to interrogate him, not kill him!", Tony yells at him, taking a few steps towards Jack.

Jack glares at Tony, ready to shove him out of the room. "TONY GET OUT OF HERE! BAKER, I THOUGHT I SAID NO INTERRUPTIONS!", he shouts at Tom furiously.

"Jack, he's no good to us dead." Tony grabs Jack by the arm and pulls him off Smith's shoulder.

Smith is gasping for breath on the floor: "Ragen...I'm supposed to meet a man named Ragen in about an hour.", he says under his breath.

Jack gives Tony a look of _I told you so_, then kneels down next to Smith. "Where?"

Smith lays on the floor in agony and gasps: "The California Science Center."

Instantly, Tony leaves the room to call the medics for Smith and to update CTU and Division.

Jack waits until Tony is gone, then continues, knowing he has to use the time before Smith goes into shock. "What's the purpose of the meeting?"

"I'm supposed to deliver them a sum of money... That's all I know.", Smith says, feeling his conciousness slowly drifting away.

"Where's the money?", Jack presses on. _You're not gonna pass out until I allow you to. _"Where is the money?", he repeats louder.

Smith has a hard time staying awake. "Safe... hotel...", he manages to say and with that, he passes out just as the medics arrive.

Jack leaves Smith with the medics and runs out of the room and over to Comm 1. "Tony! Set up a conference call with Division and CTU, now!"  
He waits until Tony puts him through.

"Erin! Michelle! Has Tony updated you?"

"To a point, yes.", Erin answers.

"Yes.", Michelle affirms.

"Erin. Smith was supposed to deliver money to this man Ragen, he said it was in a hotel safe, it is probably the hotel where Smith was staying. I want you send whoever is closest to find that money and bring it over here."

"Done.", Erin tuns to Annie and orders her to send out someone. In the meantime, Jack continues. "Michelle. Get ahold of Hammond, I need him to authorize an undercover mission."

"What for?"

"We need to take advantage of the fact that we intercepted Smith. I need both CTU and Division to look for the best match on Smith. I'll have Tony send the most recent picture we have of him."

"Got it.", Michelle replies. "Jack, I'll get back to you."

"Alright. Thank you." Jack hangs up and sits down, running his hands through his hair, thinking. _This could be good. If we can get an undercover agent in with Ragen's group, it'll push this investigation forward again. Right now, we've got nothing... God, how I hate being in the dark,_ he sighs._  
_


	5. The Undercover Agent

**CTU / Division / DOD**

Tony finds the picture of Smith and begins to transfer it to Division and CTU:

"Chloe, Steve, I'm transfering the image of Smith over to you. Cross-reference it with all of the available personnel files in both offices, ASAP. We don't have much time."

"It's coming through now," Steve confirms.

"Got it.", Chloe answers. "Tony, I've got those satellite images you asked for. I'm transferring them to you now." Chloe punches in a few numbers and the file transfer begins. "I don't know if they'll be of much use, though, I didn't get anything from when they started following Jack, the only frames I was able to pull up are about the time when he called us."

Jack glances at Tony. "Satellite footage? What for?"

Tony answers Jack's question calmly: "I just wanted to see if we can find out anything more about the men who were chasing you, and possibly a clue where they came from."

"OK, and did you find out anything?"

Tony sighs: "Not, much. Just the general direction where they came from. And traffic cams don't seem to provide any additional info either."

"Alright Tony. Look, we need to focus on what's important right now. We have to start prepping the undercover mission. I'm going to see if Smith can give us any further information about whoever he's working for. Let's try to find out whatever we can about this guy Ragen and see what they have been connected to in the past, so we can create a believable profile for the agent. There is no time to waste here."

"Yeah, I'll run his name through the DOD's and others databases if we can come up with anything. It could be an alias too, but let's give it a shot."

"OK. Tony, we can't have any mistakes here, the life of the undercover agent depends on the accuracy of your work now. Alright?"

Tony thinks for a moment, then replies solemnly: "Yeah, I know."

"I'm trusting you with this.", Jack says and pauses, before turning towards the door. "I'll be with Smith."

Then Jack leaves the room.

**Division**

Michelle calls up Hammond. Hammond is on his way from District to Division when his phone rings: "Hammond."

"Brad, it's Michelle. Jack extracted some information from this guy we arrested at the hotel earlier, he said he needed to talk to you."

"Yes, Michelle, do you know why he wanted to talk to me?"

"Smith was supposed to meet someone here in LA, he gave up a name and the location, Jack wants to send in an agent to infiltrate them."

"Alright, you have my authorisation. Have Jack call me directly as soon as he has something."

"I will." Michelle starts to hang up, but reconsiders. "Where can he reach you? Are you still at District?"

"No, I'm on my way back to Division. I'll be there shortly."

"Alright, I'll let him know." Michelle hangs up.

**DOD**

Jack finds Baker. "Where is Smith?"

"The medics are taking care of him in the clinic. I'll take you."

"Thank you."

Jack enters the room. The doctors are just about to start working on Smith's shoulder.

"Is he asleep?", Jack asks.

"Yes."

"I need him lucid. Wake him up."

"I can't.", the doctor protests.

"Trust me, this is more important than his shoulder. Wake him up."

Reluctantly, the doctor obeys. Jack stands there, impatiently waiting. After a while, Smith wakes up.

He looks around, disoriented, not quite sure where he is. "What..." He tries turning and when he groans in pain, he remembers what happened. He looks at his shoulder and notices it still bleeding heavily.

Jack leans forward so that Smith can see his face well. "I'll let them treat your shoulder when you've told me everything I want to know."

"I've already told you everything" Smith says angrily, wanting to get rid of the severe pain rather than talk to this guy again.

Jack shakes his head in disagreement. "I don't think you have. How do you contact these people?"

"All I know is where and when I'm supposed to meet him. The California Science Center. I told you."

"Do you know any other names besides this Ragen? What's his first name?"

"I don't know his first name. All I have is a discussion board address on the Internet.They leave me messages there."

Jack takes out a notepad and a pen from his jacket. "Write down that address, including your username and password.", he says, handing the pen to Smith, and holding the notepad for him to write on. Hesitatingly, Smith obeys. Jack places the notepad back into his jacket, then asks.

"So you have never talked to any of these men?"

"No!"

Jack eyes Smith for several seconds. "You better not be lying to me.", he mutters.

Smith says nothing further. Jack glances at the doctor, then exits the room.

**DOD**

Tony is waiting for the cross-reference on Ragen's name to be complete, when suddenly the system flags an entry.

"Son of a bitch...it wasn't an alias.", he says incredulously and oddly relieved.

Tony prints out the entry on the screen and runs out finding Jack in the corridor, returning from Smith. "Jack, we got a match on Ragen."

Jack opens the door to his office and lets Tony in. Tony proceeds to tell him what he found.

"Jason Frederick Ragen, born April 21st 1964 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ohio State University, M.A in American History. ROTC branched Infantry, served in Panama, Gulf War and Somalia at least. U.S Army 75th Ranger Regiment and U.S Army Special Forces. Numerous commendations, service record and missions mostly classified. Discharged in 1998 as a Major."

Jack grabs the printout from Tony. "Great work, this is good. What's his last known location?"

"He was discharged from Fort Bragg N.C. His last address on record is in Nevada."

"Nevada? Do we know how he is connected to Los Angeles? Anything about what he's been doing since the discharge?"

"He's been suspected of connections with anti-government militias."

"Do you have any names? Contacts? Anything to tell us why Smith would be paying Ragen?"

"No... uhhm, nothing that would raise any read flags. Most of his service record is classified so I can't access that without proper clearance. Did you get anything more from Smith?"

Jack nods. "Yeah, he told me his only contact with these people has been through a website, that they've communicated via a message board. Wait..." Jack scrambles that notepad from his pocket. "Here's what he gave me, along with the username and password, get that to CTU, I suspect he would have deleted all the messages, but it's worth a shot anyway."

Tony takes the page from Jack´s notepad. "Alright, I'll get Chloe on it. Maybe we can get something out of those boards."

"Alright, good. Do we have a possible match for Smith yet?"

"No, not yet. Should be soon."

"OK. Great. Has Michelle contacted Hammond yet? Is he on board?"

"Yeah. Michelle called me back and said that Hammond is on his way to Division now and he wants you to get in contact with him as soon as we have a match."

"OK, good. Tony, let me know when they call, I'll be in here." Jack turns to his desk, but then walks back to Tony and gives him a pat on the shoulder. "Tony, you're doing a great job here today. I can't thank you enough for coming in."

Tony rubs his chin nervously and then answers: "Yeah. Look, I know Hammond isn't going to be too pleased with me involved. He's gonna want to take me out of play. He doesn´t trust me."

"Don't worry about it, I can handle Hammond. Let's just stop these guys." Jack smiles.

"Yeah."

Tony's cell phone rings and Tony picks up. "Hello Tony... It's Erin at CTU. Is Jack with you?"

"Yeah, he's here... hold on. " Tony passes the phone to Jack. "Jack, it's Erin."

Jack grabs the phone "Erin. You got something?"

"Jack, Chloe came up with a list of potential matches for James Smith. I'm sending it over to you now."

"Alright. Send it." Jack motions to Tony to open up a directory. Soon afterwards, the file is transferred.

"OK we got it." Tony opens it up and he and Jack look at the computer screen and then at eachother.

"Wait a minute, Erin, this can't be right.", Jack says incredulously when he sees the names list.

"It is, Jack, I double-checked it myself."

"Alright, thanks. Erin, I'll get back to you." Jack hangs up and stands, looking at Tony wordlessly.

Tony just sighs deeply, looking back at Jack for a moment. "I thought those records were deleted."

"Tony, you don't have to do this. There are other matches, field agents trained for this kind of assignments.", Jack speaks softly, in a low, friendly voice.

Tony thinks for a long while before responding. "Yeah. Look Jack, you and I both know we don't have time to bring other agents in from San Diego, let alone San Francisco. If we want to get these guys we need to act now, we're running out of time."

"I don't care.", Jack says, even though he has to admit to himself that it's not entirely true. But what he says next is: "I don't want to put you at risk unless you are absolutely sure you can pull this off, do you understand me?"

"Yeah, I can do it.", Tony says factually.

Jack thinks for a few moments, looking away from Tony. _You know this is the only way, Jack.. He can pull it off._, he concludes, reassuring himself, too. He looks back at his friend.

"Alright... OK, Tony. I'll be with you all the way, alright? I'll be covering your back."

"Yeah. You better let Hammond know."

"Yeah.", Jack turns away and reaches for his phone, dialing Hammond.

"Hammond.", a neutral voice sounds on the other end of the line.

"Brad, it's Jack. We have a match for James Smith. Chloe just sent me the list."

"Oh, that's good. Who is it?", something similar to a smile of relief passes Hammond's face.

"You're not gonna like it. But he's the best match, the other potential matches are not that good and they're too far away but we have no time to waste." Jack pauses for a few seconds.

Jack is stalling. Hammond doesn't like the sound of this. Not at all. "_Who_ is it Jack?", he urges him to answer.

Jack pauses for another second, glancing at Tony before replying. "Tony Almeida."

Hammond's eyes open widely at this response. "WHAT! Can't be. Even if it was, we can't send him there. He's a convicted man and not even trained for an op like this."

"Brad, he can handle it. And you know exactly that the only reason he was convicted was because _you_ wanted to put him behind bars, after everything that he'd done for our country, so don't lecture me on what he can and he can't do. I'll be supervising the op, if anything goes wrong, I'll be there in a matter of seconds."

Hammond grudgingly agrees: "Fine. But if he screws up for any reason, I'll hold you responsible, DOD or not."

"Fine. Put Michelle on."

Hammond transfers the call to Michelle and Jack passes the phone to Tony, then leaves the office to give Tony some time alone and to get changed for the field.

Tony waits until Michelle picks up. "Hey, it's me. We found a match for Smith.", he says plainly, having no time to beat about the bush.

"Hey. That's great, CTU found someone?"

Tony sighs, knowing this won't be easy: "Yeah... It's me."

"What? What do you mean, it's you?", Michelle can't believe what she's hearing.

"I'm the best match for Smith we have, at least at such a short notice."

Michelle gets up from her chair and starts pacing the room. "No, Tony, no! You can't do this.", she shakes her head. "I'll call CTU, there must be field ops who are closer and...You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, there has to be someone else. I can't... I couldn't live with it if anything happened to you.", she almost whispers, fighting to swallow the bitter taste that is starting to form in the back of her mouth. Her voice falters and Tony notices this easily.

"Michelle... sweetheart, listen to me." Tony says with a soft voice. "Listen to me. There is no time for getting anyone else here. Michelle... Jack is going to be there to back me up. It's going to be OK, you won't lose me."

"Promise me that.", she utters, even though she knows he might not be able to keep it.

"Alright, I promise." Tony whispers.

Michelle sighs very deeply, not comforted by his promise at all. "Please take care of yourself."

"Yeah, I will."

Steve knocks on her door, and opening it calls her down to the floor. "I'll be right there", she tells him. "Ah, honey, I have to go. I'm sorry. They need me on the floor."

"Yeah, go on. Bye."

Outside in the corridor, Jack sees Heller leaving his office. Heller strides up to him with a look that could kill.

"I hope to God you have a damn good explanation for this Jack, I don't take kindly being told that there is a man called 'Smith' being held in the infirmary after being shot by one of my employees in an interregation room. Did they laser your brain this morning Jack!"

Jack leads Heller to an empty office before replying and closes the door. "Secretary Heller, Sir. Smith withheld crucial information and was refusing to co-operate, and we needed information fast. He was supposed to deliver a payoff to a man named Ragen, whom I am hoping we will be able to apprehend within the hour."

"I've also just been informed that one of my best men has been shot in the line of duty whilst covering YOUR back, what the hell is going on?", Heller asks, not letting go.

Jack responds calmly. "I am sorry I've kept you out of the loop on what was going on, I simply didn't have the time to report to you before I left. I received a phone call approximately an hour and a half ago, I was asked to meet someone at the Griffith Observatory twenty minutes later. This contact never showed, Sir, instead we were lured into a trap. Mark got killed, there was nothing I could have done. Trust me Sir, I wish there had been."

"I have to answer to the President of the United States Jack, not the school principal! I appreciate you were following your instincts but it's my neck on the line. My job's difficult enough without my closest employees not informing me of their intentions and positions."

"Yes sir.", Jack acknowledges this calmly.

Heller sighs. Jack is his best man on the job, after all, no need to push this further. "You say you have a lead with this Ragen character, any idea what we're dealing with? And how do you plan to resolve this?"

"Ragen is a former Major with Special Ops, recently associated with anti-government militias. Smith was supposed to meet him and deliver a sum of money. I have co-ordinated with CTU and Division to send an agent undercover with Ragen's group, hopefully we will know more about their further plans soon. In 15 minutes from now, I will be leaving with Tony Almeida who will go undercover as Smith and try to apprehend Ragen and prevent further attacks."

"Tony Almeida, the traitor you brought in earlier!", Heller is shocked.

"Sir, he was the best match we could find on such short notice, and as for his conviction, please recall the circumstances under which that happened."

"Circumstances or not, Jack, bad luck or not, we cannot have a convicted traitor officially working for the Government! This could backfire and take down all of us!"

"Secretary Heller. Sir, I understand your hesitations and I realize there is a certain risk for you in signing off on this." Jack moves one step closer to Heller, and looks him in the eye. "This is your call. If you want us to abort this mission, now is the time. But before you make your decision, Sir, please remember that we have a time advantage here and we need to use it. So far, Ragen has no suspicion whatsoever that we have Smith. Like I said, Tony was the best match we had and the closest. Bringing in agents from San Fransicso would take too much time and lose us the advantage. We will not be able to keep the agreed meeting time and if our undercover agent arrives late, it will raise red flags with Ragen and probably result in getting the agent killed. As for Tony, Sir, I do realize what's at stake here, but I trust him and I know he can do this. He will not fail."

Both men are silent for a few moments. Then Jack asks. "What is your decision, Sir? Do we abort the mission?"

"No." Heller answers after a while. "Send Almeida in, but you make sure that nothing goes wrong, Jack. If word of this gets out, then help us God."

Jack nods. "Thank you, Sir." then he turns away and leaves the room.


	6. Prepping the Mission

**DOD Comm Room**

Tony calls Division. "Steve, it's Tony. What active protocols do you have at the moment?"

"Tony. Well, we're trying to analyze intel on Ragen and his group, we're cross-checking their past and present contacts and locations. CTU is checking out the website Jack got from Smith. We're also working on updating the file on Smith, you should have it in a few minutes."

"OK, thanks. Do we have any intel on possible further attacks? I take it you will be monitoring that as CTU monitors the op."

"No, not so far. The current intel suggests that there will be further attacks, possibly military targets, but we have no specifics as yet."

"Alright. Look if anything new comes up during the op, keep Jack updated. You won´t be able to contact me."

"Yeah, we've been informed. Good luck Tony."

"Yeah, thanks." He hangs up. _I'm gonna need it. _

Jack walks in, having changed into a pair of field pants, a t-shirt and carrying a bullet-proof vest in his hand. "Tony. Is everything ready? Did you get a chance to study Smith's profile?", Jack asks, knowing Tony's life will depend on how well he can pass himself as Smith, he has to be credible.

"Yeah, I read it. It's a little sketchy, but we should be ok."

"Tony it needs to be completely accurate. You have to become Smith, with his way of talking and thinking, do you understand? There is no room for your own personality in here.", Jack says, putting on the vest.

"Yeah, I know. I'll be fine.", Tony nods, even though a small voice in his head asks, _What the hell are you doing Tony?_

"Alright. Has Chloe been able to retreive any information from that website?"

"I don't know yet. Let's get her on the phone."

"Yeah." Jack dials CTU and puts the call on speaker. "Chloe, it's Jack. Have you got anything off that website?"

"It's a simple chatroom, Jack. No obvious connections to any terrorist organisations."

Jack rolls his eyes. "What about disguised ones?"

Chloe sighs, obviously annoyed. "No, Jack, none. I did get into his account, but all communication has been deleted, no messages, no e-mails, no addresses. It's a dead end."

"Fine.", Jack pauses briefly, "Is there anything you can do to retreive the information that had been deleted?"

"I can try, but that will take some time."

"Chloe, time's a luxury that we don't have. And you know that.", Jack interrupts her.

"Gosh, Jack, you know what? I can't really find anything as long as you're keeping me on the phone.", Chloe rolls her eyes and sighs yet again.

"Get on it, Chloe. Just do it, alright?", Jack says and glances at Tony, annoyed.

"Sure, no problem." she says sarcastically.

"Chloe, it's Tony. Has Smith posted any messages on the boards as such like discussion topics or polls, something besides personal messages or emails. Anything you could use to track his IP address?"

Chloe chuckles just for a fraction of a second. "Yeah, sure, like he was eager to let anyone trace him. No, really, he was a little smarter than that. But I can hack into the admin account, that should give me access to his IP address. I was just about to do that when Jack called."

Jack interrupts. "Fine, Chloe, then do it now."

"I'm on it, Jack. Just give me a sec, OK?"

Jack sighs deeply, obviously having a hard time not sending Chloe to hell. He had almost forgotten what a pain in the neck she was sometimes.

Several moments later, Chloe comes back on. "Got it... Wait a minute, this can't be right. The IP number is too large." Then it hits her. "Sorry, Jack, he manipulated the IP address, there is no way I can find out where his computer was when he logged on."

"Alright Chloe, thanks. Who's monitoring the op from there?", Tony asks.

"I am. And a team of highly qualified CTU agents, Tony. You just make sure you stay alive, ok? We'll have a CTU tactical team within 10 minutes of your location, ready to back you up if necessary. If you need to contact us, you use your cellphone, channel B, node 1212. Got that?"

"Yeah, Channel B, node 1212."

"OK. Tony, we sent Williams to get the money from the hotel, he is five minutes out. You are set to go."

"Thanks Chloe."

Jack hangs up. "OK, Tony you need to get set up. Let's go."

Tony heads to the locker rooms to get changed. "Jack, will you see to it that we get the money counted. Ragen is probably waiting for a specific sum. I need to know how much."

"Yeah, I will."

Tony is in the locker room, changing into black business suit with a button down shirt. He also replaces his watch with one of CTU's watches that has a tracer in it. _Hmm, let's just hope I won't end up relying only on this, they're not that reliable... What have I gotten myself into?... Come on Tony, you've been in bad places before. You promised Michelle things would be alright._ He still has a lingering doubt about the op, mostly because of his time out of the loop. He sighs deeply as if to calm himself and walks back to Jack.

Jack is with Agent Williams when Tony walks into Jack's office. "Hey, Tony. Ready?"

"Yeah, let's get going."

**CTU LA**

Chloe walks over to Annie. "Annie I need you to go down to Tech 2 and change some of the main network protocols, the network transfer rate is dropping, and some of the machines are even being detected on the network, I need you to fix this before Tony's meeting with Ragen."

"Okay." Annie nods and heads over to Tech 2.

**Division HQ / DOD**

Michelle picks up her phone dialing Tony's cell number. She flicks the file in her hands closed, waiting for Tony to anwser.

Tony looks at the caller ID and sees it's Michelle. "Uhm, Jack. I'll catch up. Just a minute." Jack nods understandingly, and Tony walks behind some lockers and picks up.

"Tony it's me. How long until you leave?" Michelle asked, her voice a little jumpy.

"We're just about to leave for the site." Tony can feel her nervousness. "Hey... It's going to be OK. We both know what this job is, but everything is planned out." he said, trying to assure her.

"I know," Michelle whispers, "I know." she promised herself she wasn't going to worry him even more than he must be worrying already. She takes a breath before continuing to say. "Tony, please be careful."

"I will. Promise.", he whispers, as memories of a similar discussion they had nine months earlier comes back to him, the last time one of them went out in the field, before Saunders took her and changed both their lives. Before things went bad. His voice falters slightly as he makes the promise, but he manages to stay in control. He glances at Jack, who is waiting for him. He knows there isn't much time left. They need to hurry. "Look, I need to go.", Tony sighs.

Michelle nodded, "Yeah I understand, I love you Tony."

Tony turns away and whispers very lowly. "Te quiero mi angel. Bye." and with that, they both hang up.

**CTU / DOD / Division**

Heller stands in his office watching Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida, he feels utterly helpless. They were putting their lives on the line again, not knowing who or what they were dealing with. They were good men but they may not survive this time, he needed to know everything.

He presses the intercom. "Suzanne, get me Erin Driscoll on the line."

Erin sighs as she gets a call from the DOD. Jack doesn't work for CTU any more, and yet she's going to have to explain things.

"Secretary Heller, what can I do for you Sir?"

**split screen**

Tony grabs the money, Jack puts on his sunglasses, holsters his gun and grabs his weapons case and a few extra clips and Tony and Jack leave the DOD building. Outside, Tony puts on his sunglasses.

Chloe is putting together the latest bits of information for Tony before he becomes unreachable.

Michelle is talking to Steve about the Ragen profile, Steve tells her there is nothing more they can find out at this time. She is trying to hide her discomfort, yet it's obvious to everyone.

Hellen glances upstairs at Hammond, who is staring at Michelle.

Jack and Tony drive off.

**DOD /CTU**

Heller leans in his chair. "Erin, this is James Heller. Jack and Tony Almeida just left here. I need to know everything on Almeida. I realise that Jack trusts him with his life, but I need to know that Tony's capable of this mission, what can you tell me?"

Erin leans forward, a little discomforted. "Secretary Heller, I'll be honest with you. I don't know Tony Almeida, he left CTU before I took over. From our files, I can tell you that his service record is long, and for the most part, distinguished. But as I'm sure you realize yourself, he is a convicted traitor, even though Jack still claims that Almeida's conviction was a judicial error."

She gets up and walks over to the end of the room to look down at the floor through the glass separating her office from the rest of CTU, as if to make sure no-one's listening, then continues. "I understand your hesitations, Sir. In fact, I tried to talk Jack out of it, but he wouldn't listen. He doesn't need to, he doesn't work for me any longer. However," Erin pauses and sighs inwardly, "Sir, I'm not so sure he's made the wrong choice here. Almeida was the best match we had. He never was a field operative, but Jack thinks Tony can do this. I don't like Jack's methods, I can't accept his off-book behavior, and I wouldn't want him working for CTU again. But I know Jack well enough to know that he provides results. And I also know he wouldn't have gone along with this if he thought it was wrong."

Erin sighs. This would have been her chance to get Jack sacked for good. Instead, she ended up supporting his actions. I just hope this doesn't backfire, she thinks to herself.

**road**

Jack and Tony driving down a road in a light-colored SUV.

Tony sits looking out the window, deep in thought. He goes over the mission profile and Smith's profile in his head, but cannot help his thoughts from drifting to why he is there or rather how he could be back doing this again.

"Five more minutes.", Jack says after checking his watch. "How're you doing, Tony?"

He's snapped out of his reverie by Jack's comment. "What? Ahh, I'm OK. Just going through the profile."

"Good. 5 minutes."

Jack's eyes linger on Tony for a couple of seconds. He trusts Tony, he believes Tony can pull this off, but something is telling him that this might be too risky. _I should be the one to go_, Jack thinks to himself.

**DOD / CTU**

"So, what is your recommendation on this?" Heller asks.

Erin sighs. "Mr. Secretary, like I said, as far as field operations go, Jack Bauer is usually right about the decisions he makes. If Tony Almeida is up to this..."

"That's exactly what I am asking, Erin: Is he?... I don't want to know about Jack."

Erin pauses to think carfully before replying. _Tony and Jack are already en route. What's the point in not supporting the mission?_ "Yes, I think he is.", she finally answers.

"Thank you, Erin."

"Yes, Sir."

Heller hangs up and leans back in his chair. _I just hope we're not making a mistake here_, he sighs to himself.

**on the road**

The rest of the drive is quiet until Jack pulls up, a couple hundred meters from the agreed meeting point and turns off the engine. "This is it.", he tells Tony and looks him in the eye. If Tony wants to bail out, now is the time.

Tony holds Jack's gaze for a while, then nods. "Alright, let´s do this."

He takes the weapon from the holster on his hip, checks the clip and pulls the slide back to chamber a round. He puts it back to the holster, takes the briefcase and steps out of the car, heading to the rendez-vous point on foot.

Jack waits until Tony is far enough away, then starts the car and drives to the California Science Center, parks the car and enters the complex, takes the escalator to one of the upper floors and waits for Tony to walk in.

"Chloe, do you copy?"

"Yes, Jack. I got you."

"Good. Baker, are you in position?"

"Yes, we are, Jack. Anything goes wrong, Ragen doesn't leave the building."

"Make sure your men do not use lethal force, understood?"

"Copy that, Jack."

"Good. Stay covered. Over."

Tony walks into the center from the main doors and stops in the lobby to look around. He sees Jack on one of the upper floors but does not make eye contact. No sign of Ragen yet. Groups of schoolkids are walking around behind a guide, followed by their teacher. Elderly couples and travelers browsing leaflets at the information desk. Tony reaffirms his grip on the briefcase and walks towards the cafeteria.

Regan walks into the building, slowly, then stops to look around, while staying close to the exit. Jack recognises him. "Baker, I have a visual on Ragen. I repeat, Ragen has just entered the building. He should be at your 11 o'clock. He is wearing a black leather jacket and a blue shirt."

Baker responds: "Yeah, I got him."

Ragen sees nothing suspicious, so he moves on and heads towards the cafeteria. Tony recognises Ragen and walks to him. He clears his throat to get Ragen's attention. "Ragen? I believe you're here to meet me. James Smith", he says, offering his hand.

Ragen shakes Tony's hand, carefully watching the man in front of him. "And you already know my name." he utters finally. "You're on time. I like that in a business partner."

"Yes, I know your name. The person who I answer to told me to talk to you by that name. As for being on time, I am a businessman, being late will cost me deals." Tony says with a slight smile touching his lips. "Shall we go sit down somewhere to talk about our current deal?"

"Not here." Regan says, chuckling. "It's not like we came here to make friends over a cup of coffee. You got the cash?"

"Yes, I have it in this briefcase. I just assumed a public meeting place was chosen to protect us both if something went wrong. How do I know I can trust your intentions?" he speaks with doubt in his voice, all the while thinking when he should start asking about the coming attacks, not wanting to scare Ragen away.

Ragen grins. "You know there are no absolutes in our line of work." He begins to walk away, gesturing to Tony to follow him. "We have already proven to you that we can pull this off. Last thing I want is your boss hunting me down. Now let's see the dough and get this over with. Otherwise, I'm outta here."

"As you wish Mr. Ragen." Tony walks to a cafeteria table in the corner, puts the case on it and opens it enough for Ragen to see the money. "You will get the rest via wire transfer as the job is done."

Ragen takes a quick glance at the case and pushes it closed with his hand. "Alright. I'll trust you it's all there. You'll hear from us when it's done." Then he grabs the handle and pulls the case off the table, starting to walk away. "Nice doing business with you."

_He's leaving, we gotta get him. _Shaking his head, Jack contacts Baker: "This isn't working. All teams stand by."

_You're not going anywhere. _Tony catches up with Ragen and grabs Ragen's arm. "Oh, no you don't. My employer wanted me to see that you people fill your end of the bargain. Which means I'm coming with you or the money stays."

Ragen stares at Tony. "Not gonna happen."

Tony lowers his voice and whispers menacingly: "It will. One phonecall from me and my employer will have you and your _patriots_ dead within the hour. Think carefully..."

Ragen glares at Tony for a few more seconds, then jerks his arm away. "Fine. But you better not get in the way. Let's go."

Jack watches Ragen walk away, with Tony following him closely towards the exit. "All teams, stand down. I repeat, all teams, stand down. Tony's in."


	7. Ragen's Compound

**Ragen's Car**

Tony follows Ragen to the parking structure and to his car. Ragen opens the back door and takes a blindfold from the backseat, handing it to Tony.

"What the hell is this?", Tony asks, unnerved.

"You wanna stick around, this is what it's gonna take." Ragen stares at Tony. "Or are you scared?", he grins.

"Fine.", Tony replies, grabbing the blindfold from Ragen, then gets in the car and puts the blindfold on.

Satisfied, Ragen starts the car and drives off.

**California Science Center**

Jack to Chloe: "Chloe, Tony has left the premises. Do you have a signal yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Copy that. Get back to me as soon as you have something. Thank you." He switches the channel. "Tom, I want you to stay in contact with Chloe and set up a perimeter in a secure location as soon as she has a position on Tony."

"Got it.", Tom nods and motions to his men to clear the area.

"Thank you." Jack sighs, only briefly closing his eyes. Then he breathes in deeply and takes the escalator down to the main floor, observing the surroundings for anything suspicious. It is possible that Ragen didn't come alone. But he doesn't see anyone. _Hopefully Tony will be alright. Dammit, Michelle asked me to take care of him, this sure wasn't what she meant,_ he tells himself.

**Somewhere, a vast industrial hall**

Three men are standing in the middle of the hall, two of them looking at the ground, the third man, a tall, black-haired man in a suit, staring at them with fury in his eyes: "What do you mean he got away?", he yells at two of the ppl working for him. "You were supposed to kill him, not let him get away!"

"Getting to Bauer isn't as easy as it sounds, Sir.", one of the men says softly, keeping his head down. "He called in CTU before we could get to him. Our men were dead in a matter of minutes, there was nothing we could do. Sir.", he finishes.

The boss grabs his gun and slams it into the man's face. "I don't wanna hear your excuses! Find him. And kill him. Or I kill you. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir.", the man almost whispers, holding his face, blood starting to trickle from where the metal of the gun cut his skin. "Understood."

"Now get out of here before I lose my cool.", he tells them.

The two men turn around and head out of the room swiftly. The boss watches them leave. _Unbelievable. Of all the people I could have hired, I get the morons_, he thinks. When they are out of the room, he turns to two of the thugs. "Rico, Jeff.", they immediately join him. "I want you to follow them and make sure they take care of Bauer this time. I don't want to see their faces again if they fail. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir.", they nod and turn away, leaving the premises.

**California Science Center**

Jack and Baker's team are assembled outside the Center. "The teams are ready to move Jack. As soon as Tony contacts us, we can leave."

"Good.", Jack answers. He flips open his cellphone, dialing Michelle.

"Dessler.", she answers.

"Michelle, it's Jack. Tony's in with Ragen. I thought you'd want to know."

"Thanks, Jack. How did he seem?", she asks worriedly.

"He is alright, Michelle. He'll pull this off. We don't have a location on him yet, but I'm expecting him to activate the tracker any minute now and then we'll move into position."

"OK, thanks Jack. Please keep me posted."

"I will."

Michelle hangs up. _You heard him, Tony will be alright. Stop worrying now, Michelle_, she tells herself, knowing she needs to keep her mind off the dangers awaiting Tony if she wants to do her job.

**Ragen's car**

Ragen calls up someone. "It's me. We're five minutes out."

"We?"

"Yeah, I'm bringing someone along. Is everything ready?"

"According to plan. Who is this someone you're bringing along?"

"I'll explain later. Just set up everything."

Ragen hangs up. To Tony: "Well, looks like you're gonna get to play with the big guys now.", he grins. "We're almost there."

"What do you mean? I was under the assumption that my employer specifically instructed you not to bring outsiders into this." Tony snaps at Ragen but in his mind he's putting the pieces together. _We knew these guys were involved, but more likely there is more than this. When I find out more, I have to get word to DOD, Division and CTU somehow.__  
_  
"I need you to brief me how your plan has succeeded so far and how you plan to fullfil my employer's wishes. He wants me to give him an update." he says matter of factly.

"First things first.", Ragen replies dryly. "Your boss might be my employer at the moment. But I don't trust you. You're not getting anything until I say so. This is my turf."

**CTU**

Erin comes down the staircase to the main floor. "Chloe, where are we on Almeida's position?"

"We don't have anything yet. I can't lock onto his position until he activates the tracker."

"How does he contact us if he finds out anything? Is he bugged?"

"No," Chloe sighs. "Putting a wire on him would have been like shooting him in the head. We couldn't risk Ragen's people finding it."

"Fine, then how?"

"He has a cell phone.", Chloe says with that annoyed sound in her voice.

**Ragen's car**

Tony: "At the moment? If you don't trust me, alright, I can understand that. But if you won't let me contact him, he will think you betrayed him and you will be the one to pay for that ."

Ragen says nothing. He just eyes Tony. _What is this man up to?_, he's thinking. The operation is far too important to let someone or something mess it up. But right now, he has no choice but to go along with what this man asks him to do. After all, Smith is right.

"Alright, we're here.", Ragen tells Tony and Tony removes the blindfold, looking around.

Ragen decides to try and sweat this guy a little. "You know, Smith, your e-mails sounded a little different than that. You're hiding behind your boss. That doesn't exactly sound like what we're used to hearing from you."

Ragen parks the car and staring at Tony, he locks the doors. "You hiding something, Smith?"

Tony glares at Ragen. "Look, for me to get my share, it requires you to do your job! And I will not miss my payoff because you and your people screwed this up, just to show you could exercise your power."

Ragen holds Tony's stare for a few long seconds. Then he finally replies: "We won't screw up. You just make sure you don't get in the way."

Ragen unlocks the car and gets out, waiting for Tony to join him.

Tony gets out of the car and at the same moment discreetly activates the tracker in his watch.

**CTU**

A light flashes on a receiver on Annie's desk. "Chloe, we have a signal from Tony.", she calls over to Chloe and Erin.

"Great. Track it. Coordinate with the field team. You know the orders.", Erin answers.

"Right."

**an industrial complex somewhere in LA**

Ragen opens up a gate with a remote and walks through it.Tony follows.

"Ted.", Ragen gestures to one of the guys at the door. "This is James Smith. Bring him to a room, watch him. Make sure he doesn't see anything he doesn't need to see, alright?"

Ted nods yes.

They enter the building and Ragen excuses himself. "I need to make a phonecall. I'm sure you'll find something to do around here, James."

"Yes, I'm sure I will." Tony follows Ted into a room, noticing an open door in one of the corners of the building.The room with the open door seems to contain different types of weaponry, including 50 caliber sniper rifles.The building itself seems like a mixture of an office building and a warehouse. _This place probably belonged to a some IT company_, Tony surmises.

In the room, two more men are waiting. They are armed. Ted remains standing in the doorframe, while he lets Tony go past him into the room. "Check him.", Ted says curtly.

The two men approach Tony.

Tony lets the men check him, knowing he can't afford to make any mistakes right now. He does not resist as the men take his weapon away.

"The phone, too.", Ragen orders. One of the men hands him Tony's cell phone. "You'll get it back in a minute. Make yourself comfortable." he tells Tony and leaves the room. Ted takes Tony's gun and follows Ragen, while the other two stay behind to watch Tony.

Ragen walks over to a scanning device and places the phone inside it. Satisfied to see nothing unusual, he removes the phone from it again. Then he goes to a woman sitting behind a computer. "Jennie, I need everything you can pull off the servers on Smith, now."

"Sure.", she agrees.

As Tony is left in the room, he looks at the two men watching him. _They seem to know what they are doing. Probably ex-military just like Ragen. You need training to use the types of weapons I saw. They are behind the attacks today, but from what Ragen said, this isn't it_.

Removing his suit jacket, Tony asks the men. "You won't mind, if I remove my jacket do you?" They remain silent.

_Yeah definitely ex-military. Ragen took my cellphone for a reason, he's probably running a check on me as we speak. Hopefully CTU thought of that._

**CTU**  
"Annie, did you take care of the network?", Chloe shouts to Annie.

"Yes, I did. Why?", Annie answers, moving over to Choe's desk.

"They're accessing our server.", Chloe announces.

Erin quickly walks to Chloe. "Are we secured?", she asks, a faint tone of worry in her voice.

"We'll know in a minute.", Chloe says, then contacts Jack. "Jack, they're checking the profile right now."

"Good. Please, Chloe, this can't go wrong.", Jack says, leaning on the hood of the SUV, waiting.

"I know, Jack."

**compound / CTU**

Jennie begins her search over the line, nothing seems to be coming through anytime soon, she can feel Ragen's eyes looking at her, waiting for a reply.

_The server appears frozen, the search doesn't seem to be picking up any information on this man in the other room. It'd better be the right guy or this is going to seriously put us back.,_ she says to herself.

Jennie delves further into the files, pushing her computer knowledge to its limits, it's got to be him, there isn't time for messing about.

Chloe is working furiously on uploading the data. The last data string is just finishing routing. _Come on, come on_, she's thinking. _Why does everything have to be done in the last second?_, she gasps inwardly.

"What is going on, this is taking too long.", Ragen says.

"I don't know, the servers are frozen.", she replies. _Hopefully it's just that._

At last James Smith arrives on Jennie's screen. Satisfied, she turns to Ragen. "It's him."

Chloe smiles, relieved. "They've got it."

Ragen remains standing next to Jennie for a few seconds, leaning his hands on the desk, reading the profile that just came up on Jennie's screen. He sees the picture of the man that he brought in here, it looks like Smith wasn't lying after all. His gut feeling still tells him that something is fishy, but for now, he has no proof, so he's going to let it go. For now.

He picks up the phone and dials the room where Tony is being held. One of the thugs in the room picks up, listens for a few seconds, then just confirms, "Yes" and hangs up.

Watching the man, Tony becomes slightly worried. _This could mean everything is alright or he's just been given the green light to take me out._

The man moves away from the phone and walks towards Tony, then past him. He opens the door and, holding it open, turns to Tony. "Fine, Mr. Smith. Looks like your profile checked out."

_Pheww. Thanks, Chloe._

Relieved, Tony stands up and follows the man into a large room with several desks and computers. There are also some handguns visible on the desks. In the room with Ragen are a few men and a woman sitting by a computer. Tony calmly walks to Ragen.

"I'm assuming that everything checked out. Could I have my phone back now, and then we can get back to business."

Regan smirks and hands Tony the weapon and the phone. "Yes, Mr. Smith, everything seems to be fine." He turns to Jennie. "Jennie. Are we still on schedule?"

Jennie glances at Smith and then back at the screen. "Yes everything is working out alright." She wasn't convinced that it was, but Ragen was in charge and he made sure everyone knew it. She just wanted to do her job and do it right.

"Good.", Ragen acknowledges her reply.

"Mr. Ragen!", a short, dark skinned man calls to him.

"Yes Paul?"

"We are ready for the next step of the operation Sir."

"Good. Do it.", Ragen states clamly and starts to walk away. "You know where to find me."

"Yes Sir.", Paul nods. After Ragen turns to leave, Paul glances at Smith suspiciously. This guy's profile may have checked out, but Ragen didn't seem to trust him implicitly. So Paul was unsure whether to trust this new guy or not.

Ragen stops and turns to Tony. "James, I think you'd better come with me."

Tony can sense the suspicion in the room and it makes the hair at the back of his neck stand up. He knows he has to tread carefully."Alright, but I need you to go over the plan again so that I can update my employer as I said. He wants to know that everything is proceeding as planned."

"Yes, of course.", Ragen states indifferently and waits for Tony to join him.

"Why would it have changed?" Jennie asked, her voice doubtul. Smith didn't act like she'd imagined him.

Tony briefly glances at Jennie and answers, "It is not about changing this, it's making sure. Both my employer and I have a lot at stake here. While my interest is on the financial side, his interests have wider consequences for the country, as I'm sure you're aware." After saying this he turns to follow Ragen.

Jennie follows him with her eyes; she is really not impressed with this guy or his attitude. _I hope he slips up and I'm there when he does_, she thinks to herself, smiling. "Just after your money then? Is that really all you're interested in?" she gets up from the chair and asks directly.

Tony stops to look at her, and replies in a steady voice. "I am a businessman, so finances are important to me. But to answer your question, no, in this case it is not just about the money. Some things in this country need to change." Tony turns to Ragen. "Are we done here?"

"Hold on a minute, like what? We have a few minutes, I'd really like to hear your take on the situation of how this country's run.", Jennie urges him.

Ragen stands quietly, not interfering. _If this guy isn't real, this may be the time to find out_.

"So." Jennie stands up, facing Tony, making sure he sees her handgun in the holster at her hip.

Tony takes a few steps towards her. "Last I checked, I am not required to explain myself or my views to you." Tony answers with a lowered, slightly menacing voice.

"Really?.." Jennie replies, unimpressed. "Well, that depends on whether you know who you're talking to, now, doesn't it?" Jennie walks round the table so she is face on with Tony. "So Smith, do you know who you're talking to?"

"Someone who is below me in the food chain.", Tony replies, holding her stare.

Hearing that, Jennie sees red and full force slaps Tony around the face. "How dare you speak to me like that, you'll pay for that, dearly!"

Tony scoffs slightly when rubbing his face where the slap hit him. "So, NOW are we done with this?" he asks Ragen.

"Jennie. Go back to work.", Ragen glares at her.

Jennie returns the glare, both to Ragen and Tony. It is not the place or the time for this, so she heads back to her desk. The time will come.

"Jim. Let's go. We have things to discuss.", Ragen waits for Tony to join him.

Tony follows Ragen out of the door, while Jennie watches them leave.

**Jack's SUV**  
Jack enters the vehicle and closes the door, then leans back in the seat, thinking. _I need to let someone know what's going on._, he tells himself. But who can he trust? Chloe comes to mind first. But he doesn't want to draw her attention away from Tony's mission. He doesn't trust Erin that much. And Hammond? Well... 

He knows no-one at CTU or Division well enough to tell them what he knows.

Which leaves only Michelle. Jack flips open his cell phone, hesitates for a moment, but then dials Division. 

"Division, Dessler.", a familiar voice sounds on the other end.

"Hey. It's Jack."

"How's Tony doing?", are the first words Michelle utters.

"Fine, so far. CTU has a position on him, Chloe is dispatching the teams to a location close-by as we speak. He'll be alright, Michelle. Don't worry about it, ok?"

"Yeah.", Michelle's voice doesn't sound too convinced. But there's nothing she can do about it right now, so she just waits.

"Are we on a secure line?"

"No, just a second." Michelle quickly transfers the call. "OK."

"Michelle, I need your help.", Jack says softly, glancing around to make sure no-one is approaching the car.

"What do you want me to do?", Michelle asks, thankful to be given any kind of assignment that will take her mind off Tony's mission.

"Earlier today, I met with an informant at Griffith Observatory. He wound up dead and I had professionals chasing me and trying to get payback within minutes. Which makes me certain that someone knew we were going to meet and I'm also sure they knew what he was going to tell me. It also means that someone is probably still after me. I wanted you to know what he told me, in case something happened."

"Alright.", Michelle says, sighing deeply. "But Jack, if anything happens to you, Tony's on his own out there, so you watch yourself ok."

"Yeah I will."

"So, what did he tell you?"

**Ragen's hideout**

"You carried yourself well out there, Jim.", Ragen tells Tony, as they enter a room full of computers. "Maybe you're not as bad as everyone thinks." Ragen smiles and offers Tony a seat in a chair by one of the computers.

Tony sits in the chair offered, smiling a bit. "It' s not the first time I've dealt with someone with an attitude."

"I'm sure it isn't.", Ragen says, almost sounding friendly.

**Jack's SUV / Division**

Jack: "I can't go to the DOD with this, I don't know who to trust."

"I understand, Jack. I'll see what I can find out about this guy and why he wanted Palmer dead."

"Michelle, this man's grudge against Palmer seemed very personal. I don't know why, but I had a feeling it had something to do with Sherry Palmer. You should probably start looking there. Her contacts, family, everything."

"Sure."

"Thanks Michelle. I owe you."

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

Jack pauses for a few seconds before replying. Should he tell her? He knows someone has to be in the loop.

"Yeah... Yes, there is, Michelle. He told me someone inside the DOD might be working against the government. I don't know who, he wouldn't say until I brought him Palmer's head. Literally. You can't trust anyone at the DOD. Not even Heller. Understood?"

"Alright."

"Thanks. We'll be in touch."

Jack hangs up.

**Jack's SUV**

Jack dials another number. Slowly. Unsure whether he should do this. But when he hears a ringing signal on the other end, he puts the phone to his ear.

"David Palmer.", a familiar, deep voice answers the phone.

"Mr. Pre... Mr. Palmer, it's Jack Bauer, Sir.", Jack smiles a little to himself. He still has to get used to Palmer not being President any more.

"Jack. How's it going?", Palmer leans back in a lawn chair, two Secret Service men are visible in the background on the beach. On the horizon, the blue ocean and the clear skies meet. "Congratulations on the new job." Palmer's voice sounds relaxed and happy, like he's rarely been during the past few years.

"Thank you Sir. I'm alright. I'm glad to hear you are, too."

"Why shouldn't I be?... Jack, what's wrong?" Palmer had learned to pick up from Jack's tone when something wasn't right.

"Sir, I don't have time to go through all the details, but earlier today, I was contacted by someone who wanted you dead, in other words he wanted me to kill you in return for giving me information. I suspect it might be connected to a current terrorist threat we are facing in Los Angeles today."

"What kind of threat? Is it connected to the tanker explosion this morning outside of North Hollywood?"

"Yes, Sir, it is. We have an agent currently undercover with the group investigating that situation. But I need to follow up the other lead as well. Mr. Palmer, do you have any idea who would want your life taken?"

Palmer frowns at the thought. "Not just now, but I'll think about it. But Jack. You know as well as I do that I have many enemies. I don't understand of what use my death could be to anyone now that I'm not in the office any longer."

"Sir, I'll be honest with you. I don't think this has anything to do with your Presidency."

"How can you be sure?"

"I can't, Sir. It's just a gut feeling I have that this guy wanted revenge for something personal. I don't know... Maybe I'm wrong."

Palmer sighs. He knows Jack usually isn't wrong about these things. "What do you need me to do?"

"Please increase your security if you can, and be very careful."

"Alright, Jack, I will. Where is this man now?"

"He passed away. But others might follow. I know he had a backup ready."

"Thank you for warning me, Jack."

"Yes, Sir."


	8. The Ambush

**Jack's SUV**

Jack exits the vehicle and goes over to Baker. "Hey. Did Chloe give you a location where we can set up?", Jack asks.

"Yeah, she did. We will be about half a mile away from Tony's last location. It's the best she could come up with, otherwise we would have been detected."

"Fine." Jack utters, but sighs inwardly. That's quite a bit farther than he'd hoped for, but as things stand, they're just going to have to deal with it and do the best in their power to assure everything runs smoothly. "Okay, let's go." Jack heads towards his SUV again, while Baker gives the team members orders to move, then follows Jack to the vehicle.

As Jack turns the key and starts the engine, he hesitates just a second before he drives off. Baker notices his worry, having known Jack for many years. "Look, Jack, it's gonna be alright. Tony's gonna be fine, we'll protect him."

"Yeah." Jack keeps his eyes on the road, straight ahead. For the zillionth time since the California Presidential Primary many years ago, the thought that he couldn't even protect his own family crosses his mind. Sure, he had been through a lot ever since and he'd been doing his job well, but... how can a man who loses his family to an ex-lover who he'd been working with for years protect a friend who's over a half a mile away, when terrorists will be just a gunshot away from him?

"Yeah, I hope we can.", Jack affirms, and accelerates the car towards the agreed location.

**Ragen's compound**

"So, uhm.. Can I offer you anything? Coffee maybe?", Ragen asks Tony.

"Hmm, coffee sounds good, thank you. It's been a while since my last cup of coffee.", Tony says, seeing his chance to divert Ragen's attention from him for a while. "You have quite an impressive setup here. You seem to know what you're doing. I like that in an associate."

"Well, that's good to hear, Jim." Ragen walks over to a small table and pours himself and Tony a cup of coffee each.

As Ragen walks to the table and turns his back, Tony stretches out inconspicuously and at the same time looks at the laptop screens. He sees something that could be coordinate strings. Next to that strain of numbers and letters, he spots another sequence of numbers: 1800. There are numerous similar lines on one screen and on the other, he sees something that looks like a schematic of some kind.

Ragen walks back and hands a cup to Tony. "Now, as you know, our next targets..."

Just then, Ragen's phone rings. He picks up. "Yes?... Uh-uh... Yeah, I understand, that's good. Keep me informed, it shouldn't be long now... Yeah, thank you."

Tony takes the coffee and thanks Ragen. Sipping it, he thinks, _Those could be clues to the next attack. dammit, I should've known they're using military time. 1800, that's less than an hour away...but where? I have to notify Jack and CTU on some of these coordinates to warn them._

"So apparently there haven't been any unforeseen problems and things are going according to schedule?", Tony asks, as Ragen turns back after finishing the phone call.

Ragen clears his throat before replying. "No. There haven't."

Tony suspicously eyes Ragen, asking. "In that case, what was that phonecall about? It sounded like something was going on... a problem?", he questions, getting up from the chair.

"Oh, no, just a side job, really. It has nothing to do with our operation.", Ragen casually dismisses the question. "It's just a little something that just surfaced in the last few days and I have to take care of."

"A side job?", Tony exclaims, appalled. "You were supposed to see that this goes according to plan. If this _side job_ of yours interferes, the deal is off. It can expose this.", Tony says, raising his voice, his finger menacingly pointed at Ragen.

"It _won't_ interfere.", Ragen accentuates every word. "No-one's distracted. I'm putting my own people on this, they aren't even on your payroll."

"I hope you're not lying to me." Tony keeps eye contact with Ragen for a few seconds before continuing. "And even if they're not - _you are_. And there was no agreement on any deviation from the plan."

_What the hell is he planning? This could turn out to be a big problem, if he's working on his own._

Ragen stares at Tony. "Fine. Tell you what. IF we screw up, you go to your boss and we're all dead. So tell me, why would I plan anything that might compromise what we've agreed on? Don't lecture me on how to do my job, I've been in this game long enough to know how to play it."

Ragen's phone rings again. He waits a few seconds before answering it, while looking at Tony, unwilling to be the one to break the eye contact. As the ringing persists, he finally picks up.

"Yeah!" Something he hears on the other end worries him. "Excuse me, Jim. I have to take this call. I'll be back in a minute."

Ragen quickly heads towards the door and leaves, closing the door behind him.

Tony nods as Ragen leaves, and as he leaves the room Tony quickly looks around if he sees any security cameras. Seeing none, and knowing that he had no choice even if there were any, he'd just have to take the risk, he goes to one of the laptops. To his relief he finds the laptop unlocked and ready to use. He looks at the file that is open and using the program, he finds out the location of the coordinates.

Hearing noise from the door, Tony resets the laptop as it was, and goes to sit back down.

Ragen comes back in. "I'm sorry, Jim. Where were we?". His face is grim. He looks like he just got some quite unpleasant news.. But then he sits down opposite Tony, then turns to the laptop Tony just used. He opens up a directory, and sets it to _receive_.

"I'm just waiting for a contact to confirm something.", he almost smiles. "How's your coffee?"

"The coffee is good, thank you. So, what was that, problems?"

"One of my people screwed up. I'm gonna have to deal with it as soon as he gets here. But look, I know you wanna update your boss, so, why don't I give you a minute. Any questions you might have, you ask them now."

"Is this screw up going to interfere?", Tony asks sternly.

"No. It isn't. I'll personally take care of it.", Ragen answers calmly.

"Good, now if you'll excuse me I'll make this call." Tony gets up and walks away from Ragen.

Ragen says nothing, as he watches Tony walk away, then gets up as well, and leaves the room, heading in the opposite direction from Tony.

Tony goes to the corridor he was hiding in earlier and walks behind a pillar. He takes out his cell phone, looks around him for a moment, then dials Jack's personal cell phone number. He waits until he hears Jack pick up, then speaks quickly and lowly, cautious not to attract anyone's attention.

"It's me.", he whispers. "It's confirmed, these guys are behind today's attacks. But we have a problem... this isn't all they 're planning."

Jack moves away from the bulk of agents at the site. "What have you got?"

"They are planning something on Camp Pendleton at least. At 6 pm. Look, you better warn them Jack. I saw some other coordinates but I didn't have a chance to take a look at them."

"Alright, we'll take care of it."

"And seems like Ragen is planning something on his own. That worries me."

"Any idea what it might be?"

Tony sighs, glancing down the hall. "No, Ragen said someone in his organization just screwed up. That's all I know. Look, I got to go before they get back. Get that information to Division. I don't know when I can contact you again, they're very suspicious."

"OK, Tony, thanks. Are you ok?", Jack asks, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah."

"OK, good. Be careful."

"Someone is coming back. I got to go." Tony disconnects the call.

As Tony hangs up, Jack calls Baker. "Tom! I need you to reorganize the team, I need half of the men to be ready to leave in a matter of minutes."

"Yeah, Jack.", Baker runs off to the men and Jack immediately dials CTU, rushing over to the SUV to collect guns and ammo.

"Chloe! I need you to get in touch with someone at Camp Pendleton NOW! Tony has indication that their base might be the next target."

"Okay, Jack, you don't have to yell."

"Chloe, dammit, these people's lives are on the line, just DO IT!"

"I'm already on it, Jack.", Chloe says, typing away on her keyboard, looking for the best way to contact the base.

"Tony said the likely time of attack is 6 pm. Chloe, that's in less than 30 minutes."

"Fine, Jack. What about you?"

"I'm gonna head over there with half of the field team, try to stop them. Chloe, I also need you to send a chopper to pick us up immediately.", he says, securing a few clips in his flak jacket.

"Where?"

"There's a train yard North from here, I need the helicopter there in five minutes. Baker will stay behind to monitor Tony's mission."

"Alright, Jack, it'll be there."

"Thanks, Chloe."

split screen: Tony is back in the main hall, but Ragen seems too occupied to notice him. Some of his men are watching Tony closely instead. His frustration at being unable to find out more is visibly growing. / Chloe picking up the phone to contact the base / Jack and six men boarding a van, the driver hits the gas to get to the train yard, while Jack takes out his phone and calls Baker.

"Tom, it's Jack. Have you reorganized the team?"

"Yeah, Jack, we're in place."

"OK, good. I need you to make absolutely certain Tony's op runs smoothly. If you notice any irregularities, I wanna know right away."

"Don't worry about it. We've got it covered."

"Yeah, alright." Jack hangs up, Baker goes over to the team members to brief them and reposition them.

Jack dials Michelle.

"Dessler.", a jumpy voice is heard on the other end.

"Michelle, it's Jack. Listen, there has been a change of plans. I knew you'd want to know about it, so I wanna be the one to tell you. I'm heading off to a military base out in Camp Pendleton. Tony called in, he said they were likely the next target, I am taking a part of the Field Ops team to the location to try and stop this thing. Baker is staying on with the other half of the team to monitor Tony's mission. I'll be back as soon as I can."

_No, you can't leave him alone out there!_ a voice in Michelle's head yells, but tries to just stay focused as she outwardly only allows herself to acknowledge the information Jack just gave her with a sigh, knowing the priorities missions impose upon them. "How did Tony sound?", she utters. _Please just tell me your absence won't be crucial, Jack!_

"He was okay, I don't think they're on to him. It sounded like he was able to earn their trust, at least for now. To them, he's Smith."

"Okay, thanks." Michelle knows there is a chance Jack is only saying this to comfort her, but at the moment, she'd rather believe his words than question them. "Did he say anything else?"

"He said that Ragen was planning something on his own. A side job of some sort. He wouldn't tell him what it was... Have your people found out anything else about Ragen?"

"We have a fair amount of intel, Jack, but essentially, it's nothing new. We are double-checking the intel with other agencies to see what they have on him."

"Good. Is Smith out of surgery yet? I need you to set someone on him as soon as he is awake.", Jack begins to yell as he and the team members exit the van and the loudness of the helicopter is the dominant sound in the area.

"Jack, he didn't make it. It was too late, he bled out, they couldn't stop the bleeding.", Michelle answers, raising her voice as well.

"Son of a bitch... Michelle, .I gotta go, we're at the train yard, we're boarding the chopper now."

"OK, good luck Jack." Michelle hangs up.

The team members run to the chopper that is hovering slightly above the ground. As soon as they're in, the helicopter rises and flies off.

**Baker's location / Ragen's hideout**

Baker approaches a field op. "Hey. How many men do you count on site now?"

Bob shows Baker his PDA. "I´ve got 5 stationary guards and one roaming. All these outside, inside, unclear... appears to be around 12, not counting friendly."

"Ok, see if you can narrow it down a little. Are you picking up Tony's signal? Where is he?"

"He seems to be in a room on the south side"., Bob answers, pointing to the location.

"Alright. Keep tracking him."

"Yeah."

Ragen is walking back to the room where he last left Tony. He just enters the room and sees Tony moving away from the window as one of his men calls out to him: "Major, Sir! We have some activity on radar."

"What kind of activity?"

"Seems like a single aircraft. Chopper by the looks of it. Heading south."

"Jennie!", Ragen yells.

Jennie takes a seat at the radar screen, watching the direction of the chopper. "I'm on it."

"I need you to find out who these guys are and where they came from! NOW!", Ragen shouts.

"I'm tracking it for goodness sake, I didn't put it up there."

Ragen stands next to her impatiently.

As Ragen's attention is sidetracked, and his thugs move over to the screens watch the attack, Tony gets the chance to look around more freely. He tries to get into some of the files in the laptops on the desks but to his frustration notices the rest of the files are encrypted and here he has no chance of decrypting them. _Son of a bitch... I need to try and figure out what Ragen is planning on his own_.

**CTU chopper**

Jack pulls up a schematic of Camp Pendleton and shows it to the team, pointing at various spots as he speaks. "The fuel tanks are over here. The ammunition dumps are in this area right here. If there is any grounded aircraft, it would be in this area. If this is going to be the same kind of attack as this morning, I assume that these will be the primary targets. Chances are that explosives have been planted on some of these locations. Since Johnson used to work with ATF, he will lead Team B and I will lead Team A. Now when we get there, we won't have much time, I need everyone to know their assignment and to find these locations independently and above all, quickly. Remember, we don't know how many men Ragen has on site or where their positions are."

The team members nod silently, their minds already focused on the assignment.

**Ragen's hideout**

After a while, Jennie gets results: "Okay from the satellite position it looks like the chopper picked someone up at the train yard not too far from here, then continued to head south."

"OK, Jennie. Keep tracking it. I also need to know where whoever it picked up came from.", Ragen barks, standing above her.

"I'm doing my best, this damn screen is so slow at loading this information, you should have invested in something better, and lost one or two of those 50 caliber rifles, maybe." Jennie states crossly, tapping away at the keyboard, getting more frustrated at every touch.

**Camp Pendleton / Ragen's hideout**

"Major. This is alpha team. We are in position. Do we have a green light?", a voice from a radio resounds.

Ragen grabs the receiver. "Alpha team, you're a go. 1800, as planned.", then turns to Jennie. "Jennie, just do your job. I need to know if this is going to interfere, and I need to know it _before_ the teams take action at the base."

Jennie gives Ragen a sidewards glance "I'm doing it."

"Roger that, sir." The team leader at Camp Pendleton signals to his men to take targets into their sights. He and the other half of the strike team remain as a security force, laying in wait around their position.

Jennie watches the satellite images closely, she notices a van had approached the chopper from the west, before that... "Damn this satellite system.", she sighs again.

Jack's team, one by one, jumps off the chopper which is hovering over the ground at Camp Pendleton, and taking cover, the men move towards the base. The chopper turns around, leaving the scene.

Seeing no one around, Tony moves to the main hallway where he can have a better look at the armory. He goes in, leaving the door slightly ajar so he can hear if someone comes down the hall. Looking around in the dimly lit room, Tony can easily see these people are professionals and they are serious. "Son of a bitch. They've got weapons to equip a small army.", he mutters to himself.

His palms are sweating, the hair at the back of his neck is standing up as he lets his eyes roam the room. On the tables there are multiple 50 caliber rifles, some of them equipped with state-of-the art nightvision / thermal camera scopes. In racks on the walls are different rifles and submachine guns: M4 carbines, H&K G36´s, MP 5´s, UZI´s. Mil-spec ammo boxes are stacked by the walls.

"Calm down and think Tony.", he tells himself and breathes deeply in order to focus. "I need to know what their plan is, get into those files."

Ragen suddenly remembers something. "Where is Smith?" He glares at his thugs but no-one seems to know.  
"Joe, Ted, find Smith! Dammit, I said not to let him out of sight!" The two men walk off quickly, pulling their guns as they do so.

"I told you not to trust him!" yells Jennie. _Some people will never learn._ She's speaking fast. "I've tracked this van to less than one mile from our position so far, that is way too close for comfort, what are we going to do now?"

"Get a team out there NOW! Find them and get rid of this problem!"

"Well maybe someone should." Jennie mutters under her breath, then grabs a com unit. "Listen up, there seems to be a team of armed men on the perimeter of the compound.", she yells into the radio.

Tony´s eyes land on a couple of shiny cylindrical objects on the ground. He crouches down to look at them, feeling the cold surface. "These are containers of some kind. This is not good." Hearing noises, he quickly retraces his steps to the hallway, looking as if lost.

As Tony sees two of Ragen's men coming, he backs up to the door of "his" room with the coffee cup in his hands and tells them he's looking for water, seemingly annoyed. Ragen's men look at him suspiciously for while and one of them leaves to get a bottle of water.

"Come on, Smith, the Major wants to see you.", Joe tells Tony.

"Oh now he does, does he? Fine. I thought I was supposed to be told how the operation is advancing." Tony says to Joe, glaring at him.

"Yeah, well, I don't know what he wants with you, I just know he wants to see you. Let's go."

"Fine." Tony walks ahead with Joe following.

Jennie watches Smith walk back into the room, she really didn't trust him, and she was almost certain that he had something to do with what was going on outside, but she didn't have any proof and it was Ragen's call. If it went wrong she would shoot him herself, but right now she was more interested in getting rid of the threat outside the compound, as well as tracking where that chopper had gone.

**Camp Pendleton**

The alpha team leader watches the chopper approach the base and then leave the area again, immediately realizing the purpose of this aircraft's flight. He signals the actual strike team to go ahead, while he stays behind with a few men to assess the situation with the chopper or rather to deal with whomever it dropped off. He contacts Ragen when the sound of the rotors subdues.

"Major, we just got company. Permission to take them out sir?" he whispers to his throat mike as encircling the team.

"Permission granted. Any prisoners, bring them to me."

"Yes, sir."

_Dammit, if that's the chopper that took off from here, that means we're being watched. Someone's still out there_, Ragen surmises.

Jennie watches the satellite feed from the location of the van at the time of pick up, as she watches she sees there are still 9 men still on site, she has their locations at that time and at a guess they won't have moved that much, she quickly relays the information to Ragen.

"Well done Jennie. Get that to our men. Take these bastards out.", Ragen says callously.

She nods and contacts their group outside the hideout.

Joe motions to Tony to wait several feet away from Ragen and walks over to Ragen. "We found Smith. Should I bring him to you?", Joe asks.

Ragen glances at Tony, who is standing at the far end of the room. "No. Not just now. I'll call you. I've got this to take care of first.", Ragen says.

"Yes, Sir."

Joe walks back to Tony. "Sit down. The Major will call you when he's ready."

Reluctantly, but knowing he can't make a mistake and must obey, Tony sighs to himself and takes a seat in one of the chairs, once again dismayed that he won't be able to observe anything that is happening.

**Camp Pendleton**

Jack and team A move towards the ammo dump first, he signals team B to move towards the fuel tanks. They don't notice Ragen's men have detected them and are closing in behind them slowly.

Jack spots a bomb and signaling the team to give him cover, he swiftly runs over to disarm it. Cautiously, he unscrews the lid, and sees the timer. 5 minutes 30 and counting. _Dammit, we'll never get out of here alive_, the thought runs through his mind, when he sees the amount of the explosives wired into the bomb, not to mention the countless pounds of ammunition stored in there. _They placed the device strategically well. Dammit, this surely won't be the only bomb they planted._

"Johnson, have you found anything?", Jack whispers through the mike on his flak jacket to the bomb expert on team B, while himself continuing to work on the bomb.

"Not yet, Sir."

"Abort mission. We're out of time."

"No, I have to find them. If they blow up the fuel tanks, we'll all die."

"Negative, Johnson. I gave you a direct order. Abort. Now. They won't need a bomb for the fuel tanks, they'll probably use the 50 cal rifles. Get out of there now." Jack feels the need to yell, but he knows he can't do it without giving away their position.

Suddenly, Jack hears motion behind him. Stopping what he's doing for just a second, he listens carefully.

**5:57:24**

The team leader at Camp Pendleton has his men encircling the CTU team. Jack realizes what's going on and orders the chopper back, then contacts his units.

"All teams return to the extraction point now! Ragen's men are closing in on us!" He yells, cuts through the last wire in the device and starts to run, team A following his lead.

As they run and see team B approaching them from the right, suddenly, bullets whistle out of nowhere, instantly taking down Jack's second man who falls to the ground, a fresh hole in his face. Jack dives to the ground, and so do the other members of the tactical team. They attempt to crawl behind trees to take cover, and return fire, but it seems their bullets are useless. Ragen's team has the strategical advantage, being hid on higher ground and with the sniper rifles they are using, there is no need to get dangerously close to their opponents.

The CTU team can only estimate the direction of the shots and hence get very few hits. Jack witnesses the deaths of more than half of his team, unable to save them. "Fall back! MOVE!" Jack yells through the shots. _Damn you Ragen. All these men are someone's fathers, someone's sons. _Having been ambushed, they stand no chance as Ragen's team picks them off one by one like clay pigeons.

Using a couple of moments of silence as Ragen's team stopps firing to assess the situation, Jack runs out from behind the tree he was using as cover and runs towards two of his men who are still alive. "Move, we gotta get out of here!", he shouts, and grabs one of the men by his uniform, pushing him forward. The other man follows, hoping that they actually stand a chance of surviving. Ahead of them they hear the sound of rotors of the approaching helicopter.

They run towards the clearing the chopper is hovering over and are just a few yards away, when the chopper suddenly explodes with a deafening blast and consequently crashes. The explosion causes Jack's men to literally fly backwards. One of them lands on a tree trunk, breaking his neck instantly, the other one flat on the ground, knocked out for the time being. Jack lands on the ground, rolls over towards the woods and immediately turns on his stomach, holding his gun in front of him, ready to shoot if anyone comes into view.

Simultaneously, the attack on the Camp Pendleton base begins. The snipers on Ragen's main team engage and take out the fuel depot and the ammunition dump of the base. Massive explosions tear the horizon apart and gunfire can be heard erupting in the distance..

Jack sees shadows moving in the bushes and fires. The shots that Ragen's team return land very close to him and Jack knows he needs to find a better place to hide. Laying down cover fire, he crouches and quickly moves towards a thick tree, taking cover behind it, leaning on it with his back.

At this moment, Ragen's team leader, Sam Brown, quickly runs in Jack's direction, hiding behind a tree close to Jack.

Safely behind the tree, Jack stands up and glances towards the clearing. He notices some of Ragen's men come out of the hiding, moving between trees, firing their rifles in his direction and beginning to close in on him. Jack returns fire and manages to take out one or two of the men. The remaining ones immediately shoot back at him.

Moving cautiously and silently, Sam manages to get behind Jack.

Crouching to hide from the gunfire that ensues, Jack checks his clip._ Dammit, only four more. Better save your ammo, Jack._

As the unrelenting gunfire gets closer and Jack starts to disbelieve his chances of getting out, he yells into the com: "Chloe! The base has just been hit! We've been ambushed! Ragen's..."

The signal cuts off.

At CTU, Chloe stands in shock, not quite sure what just happened.


	9. Jack's interrogation

**Camp Pendleton**

The scene opens with Jack still crouching behind the tree, but Ragen's team leader is standing above him, the barrel of his rifle on Jack's head.

"Drop it.", he tells Jack.

The cold metal to the back of his head leaves Jack no choice but to comply. He lifts both his arms up and allows the man to take his weapons off him.

"Get on your knees.", Sam tells him.

Slowly, Jack places his right knee on the dusty soil beside the tree that was giving him cover, then his left follows. He can feel tiny, hard branches and pebbles carve into the thin skin even through his pants.

Jack listens. The gunfire closeby has seized. He still hears explosions and shots on the base and the alarm has been sounded. But right here, right now, he's alone on this. It is here he realizes that his team must have been taken out completely.

"Hands behind your head." Sam orders Jack, who, again, complies. Two more of Regan's team now come out from the bushes and point their weapons at Jack.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?", Sam speaks again.

Jack glares at him, but doesn't reply. He knows who _they_ are, that's the only thing that matters. And they'll probably take him to the hideout, to Tony, which was a good thing. He'd be able to watch Tony's back better if they were _less _than a half a mile away from each other.

The remaining team members of Ragen's join them.

Sam stares back at Jack for a few seconds, then raises his rifle and knocks him out. Jack falls flat on his stomach and into the dust.

"Major, Sir, we have a prisoner. Awaiting your orders.", Sam radios Ragen directly.

"Bring him in. Alive."

"Yes, sir." Sam replies and signals to his team to move.

Two men lift up Jack's limp body by his arms and carry him toward their extraction point, preceeded by some of the team members and followed by Sam and the rest of the ambush team. Sam, walking behind the men carrying Jack, rifle in hand, is scanning the surroundings. In passing the CTU agent who was thrown on his back by the blast earlier, they notice he is beginning to stir. While the two men continue carrying Jack down the path, and the team walks behind them, Sam stops, takes out a pistol and fires two rounds to the CTU agent's head, then joins the others again.

**CTU team location**

Chloe to Baker on the radio: "Baker, move your men off the location immediately! I've lost connection with Jack, something's wrong! Ragen's men must have got to him! Get out of there!"

"Roger that." Baker to his team: "We've got orders to clear the premises. Let's go, people! MOVE!"

Sid whispers into his throat mike: "Bravo team we're a go. Open fire". The team has approached Baker's team and their vans.

As the CTU team begins to move, running to gather the necessary equipment and leave, Bravo team opens fire, taking them out before most of them even have time to properly respond.

Jennie hears the gunfire over the radio, she smiles to herself _They don't stand a chance_, she thinks to herself smugly. _This is going to go down so sweet_. She can almost hear the bullets ripping into their flesh and killing those do-gooders. They have no idea who or what is behind this, or what's going to happen next.

Baker and a few of the men manage to hold the assailants off for a while, taking cover behind the vans, but as the strike team closes in, the men around Baker go down.

"CTU, this is Baker. We have been hit. I repeat, we have been hit." After saying this, Baker feels a sharp pain in his chest and falls to the ground.

Jennie hears the gunshots cease, as abruptly as they started "Sid talk to me, tell me you got them all?"

"Roger that. Hostiles have been eliminated."

Jennie reports to Ragen "It's over, the lot of them bought it." she states smugly, as if she'd done it all herself.

"Good.", Ragen answers, satisifed and checks his watch. He calls Joe and tells him to bring in Smith.

With a sigh, Tony gets up from his assigned chair, and walks towards Ragen who is still standing by the monitors. _They´re going ahead with the attack. I hope I got the information to CTU in time. Now if only I can get some information on the next targets. I can´t fail on this._, Tony tells himself as he goes up to Ragen. "I was told you wished to see me? Are you starting the operation now?", he asks.

"Yes, the operation has begun. That is exactly why I wanted to see you." Ragen responds. "I assume you will want to update your employer that everything is going according to plan", he adds, casting a suspicious glance at Tony.

"Are your men up to the task? They´re up against professionals. I need to know things will procede as planned before I update anyone. There is too much at stake.", Tony says with slight doubt in his voice.

"My men _are_ professionals. They can handle anything that comes their way." Ragen snaps, annoyed that their abilities were questioned. "I trained these men, I picked them for this op myself. And as for future operations today, I will have you briefed when it is necessary." he says and turns back to the monitor, ending the discussion, motioning to Joe to lead Smith away from the site of action.

Tony turns and follows Joe yet into another room next to the main hall. _Son of a bitch. He´s not going to give me anything until the last minute. I need to get into those files, but how?_

"You can make your calls form here. I´ll be outside." the man says to Tony, leaving him alone in the room.  
As the door closes, Tony looks around. The room is sparingly furnished, an old storage room by the looks of it. There are shelves and boxes stacked at the back of the room. In the middle of the room there is a chair and a table. To his luck, Tony sees there is an open laptop on the table. "Maybe Ragen isn´t as careful as he thought he was." Tony smiles inwardly as he goes to the laptop, but fails to notice there is a security camera by the roof, hidden by some boxes.

**CTU / Division**

Erin: "Chloe, what the hell just happened here?"

"I don't know. I'm gonna try and figure it out." Chloe gets on the phone, dialing Steve at Division. "Steve, it's Chloe. I just lost contact with Bauer _and _Baker. Are you getting anything from them?"

"Same here Chloe. Nothing, we lost the audio feed with Baker and his team just now. No one is picking up on the back-up frequency either. We also lost contact with the chopper just before Bauer´s comm went out. Pendelton is reporting multiple explosions but we cannot confirm if the chopper was lost."

Chloe: "I'll try to pick it up on satellite. I might be able to find it based on the last coordinates we got from the pilot."

Erin stands next to Chloe, her arms crossed, then turns to Annie. "Annie, see if you can contact the base. They are going to need backup. Coordinate with the DOD to send teams to the site."

"Got it.", Annie grabs the phone.

Michelle notices from her office that something is going on the floor. She dials Steve´s extension "Steve, this is Michelle. Is there something new going on with the op?"

"Yeah, Michelle. It would be good for you to come here. Look, I´m on the line with CTU, it´ll be easier to explain here." he replies.

"I'll be there." she replies, running multiple scenarios through her mind as she walks down the stairs to the floor. _Has something happened to Tony? Jack is supposed to be backing him up. Have they taken out another target? _She thinks. _Stop thinking like that Michelle_, she soon admonishes herself. _Tony and Jack know what they are doing and they still have Baker leading the second team_.

She walks over to Steve´s station. "What´s the situation?", she asks. Steve glances at her while typing on the keyboard. "We´ve lost contact with both teams. CTU´s on the line."

Chloe manages to find the area where the CTU helicopter was supposed to pick up Jack's team. Satellite imagery shows a large fireball at the spot. She glances as Erin, then connects to Steve. "I think I found the chopper. It looks like it's been shot down. I'm scanning the area for survivors now. Still nothing from Baker though."

_Nothing from Baker? We lost Baker? Jack's team is gone too? Oh my god, Tony's on his own. _Michelle's head feels like it's spinning. She grabs the back of a chair, feeling the need to hold onto something so as not to faint.

"Alright, thanks." Steve says and turns to Michelle. "How do you want to procede on this?"

Michelle sighs inwardly, she needs to try and put her personal feelings aside for now. "Alert Camp Pendleton on this so they can canvas the site as soon as they have the situation under control on their end. Also coordinate with DOD, as well as other federal and local agencies. "

Erin: "Chloe, are you getting a signal from anyone at the base? We should be able to read their signature."

Chloe turns to another screen, switching to the "No... Yes, but they're all stationary, I don't see anyone moving. I think they're all dead." _Gosh Jack, I hope you got out of this alive_, she thinks.

_If they took out the whole team something has gone very badly wrong. Has Tonys cover been blown?Are Jack and Tony still alive?_, Michelle keeps questioning her mind, even though it can't give her answers. "Erin, what is the situation on the field teams? Are there any in reserve? We need a team out there to check the area."

"We don't know yet Michelle. We need to check the feeds we have first, find out what happened to Baker's team, see if we can re-establish contact with Jack. At this point, I don't want any more agents involved in this and getting killed before we know what happened."

"From what Steve tells me, no one is picking up on the feeds and the back-up frequency is silent as well. You cannot make an accurate assesment before you get someone on site." Michelle replies slightly exasperated. "You said there was no contact with either team."

"Michelle.", Chloe interrupts. "Tony's ok. We're still picking up his signal. I don't think you need to worry about that."

Erin agrees. "Chloe's right. Right now, we have to do our best from here. Not on site. If Ragen killed Baker's team and we send backup it might compromize Tony's position. At this point, they might still think it's not connected to him. All we can do for now is assess the situation from the air only."

Michelle sighs, desperation overcoming her. "Yes, you´re right..." She brings a hand to her face, then continues, after taking a deep breath. "See if you can pick anything up on satellite that would give us information on what happened. And notify me if you get anything on any of the frequencies or if the situation changes." She closes her eyes for a second, focusing on the task at hand, trying to push the fear about Tony aside.

"We will.", Erin agrees. "Michelle. Get a hold of the DOD, see if they can get through to Jack on one of their channels."

"Yeah, we´re already on it."

"OK." Erin turns to Chloe. "Inform me if anything comes up. I'll be in my office."

Erin leaves the main floor, walking upstairs.

"Steve, I´m going to update Hammond on this. Let me know as soon as you got something." Michelle says and goes to her office.

"I will.", Steve agrees.

**Ragen's compound **

Tony has been sitting by the laptop and has managed to hack his way into the operating system. _So much for password protection. People just can´t help but use familiar passwords, got lucky this time._Tony thinks. But the encryption on the actual target information isn´t that easy. He has installed software from a flash memory he had with him. But he isn´t getting anywhere, the program denies access whatever he tries._ If only this could be done in CTU. The algorithm is too complex. Son of a bitch!_. Hearing noises from the other room, Tony removes the flash drive and is about to reboot the computer but suddenly the noises move away. Wiping his brow, he continues. _I´ve gotten lucky they haven´t come to check on me, this could blow my cover. But CTU needs this information; I need to get into these files._

From the hall come sounds of a larger group entering, something is going on. Knowing Ragen might come for him any minute, Tony has no choice but to hide his tracks and log out of the system. No sooner than he has done this, one of Ragen´s men comes inside to get the laptop, eyeing him suspiciously.

Tony looks at the man as if he hasn´t even paid any attention to the laptop on the table. "Is everything going as planned?" he asks, but the man doesn´t reply, only grumbling something when leaving the room and leaving Tony alone again.

**Ragen's hideout**

As the team from the Camp Pendleton raid gets back, they gather up their gear and drag the still uncouncious Jack inside. The team leader goes to report to Ragen as his men unceremoniously drop Jack to the floor.

"Sir, Alpha team reporting as ordered. We lost a couple of men and a two more were wounded, but the mission is a success. And we have the man with us as you requested."

"Good job." Ragen says, and glances over to Jack's motionless body. "So who is this?"

"According to his ID, he's Jack Bauer, works for the DOD. Which is odd, suits aren't usually so heavily involved in threat alert assesments, not to mention in leading field teams."

Ragen folds his arms, staring at Jack for a few moments, contemplating his next move...

Tony, in the adjacent room, hears bits of the conversation, including Jack's name. _Son of a bitch. They've got Jack, supposedly alive... but for how long? Which means that the tactical team has been taken out. Did Jack get this information relayed to division and CTU before they got him? I've got to think of something_. He starts pacing the room.

Ragen dismisses the Alpha team, sending them to get ready for their next assignment.

"Take him inside." Ragen orders two of his henchmen. They grab Jack's arms and drag him inside a room to the side.

The men take Jack and place him sitting on a chair, securing his arms behind his back.

Ragen backhands Jack across the face to wake him up. Jack jerks and lifts his head up, opening his eyes. The first few moments are quite blurred, as he tries to remember where he might be and what lead to him being here. Slowly, he comes to, and recognizes the man in front of him as Ragen, the man he'd been after.

He looks around. Tony? No, Tony's not in the room with him. That could mean two things. Either his cover is still intact, or they're separating them for a reason. As Jack glares at Ragen, he hopes for the first..

Ragen says nothing for a while, standing, glaring at Jack. Then he puts out a simple question. "Who are you?"

Jack remains silent. They would have found his ID, no need to answer that.

"Who are you, and what were you doing at Camp Pendleton!" Ragen asks a bit more forcefully, raising his voice.

"That's none of your business." Jack mutters. _Did they find Baker's team as well? If so, then Tony and I are both in deep trouble._ Jack thinks to himself. _How the hell did they find us so quickly? They must have had information about the chopper's flight path. Has Chloe been able to relay the information to Tom before they got attacked? Where is Tony?_

Ragen punches Jack in the face, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Don't play games with me! You're not an ordinary DOD suit, there's something more to you. How did you know to be at Camp Pendleton!"

Ragen thinks about the people in his organization, going through possibilities who might have turned on him. _No, my men are loyal, there's something more to this.  
_  
Jack spits out some blood and defiantly looks at Ragen. "You know all government agencies are all over what's going on today. We followed a trail and it lead us to Camp Pendleton."

"No, my men are more careful than that... Someone told you. Who was it?"

Ragen remembers the slip that happened earlier today. He'll still need to deal with that when that team comes in. _If someone sold us out, it might be that same guy. _He said he'd lost his assigned target temporarily, he was new, he was most likely to be working outside. He's going to take care of him later, but first, there's _this_ problem to deal with.

"Tell me now and I'll end this quickly.", Ragen tells Jack in an almost friendly tone, as if he were inviting him over for a cup of coffee.

"No-one told us anything. My people are just good at their jobs.", Jack grins, provoking Ragen.

In the adjacent room, Tony hears Jack's response and mentally shakes his head. _No, Jack. Don't provoke him._ And yet, knowing Jack, he knows his hope for that is futile. Jack will not give him up, keeping his cover is all that matters right now. At least to Jack, but Tony isn't so sure. He's torn because his friend is in there and there is practically nothing he can do, without endangering the mission and himself. Jack would never forgive him if he did.

Ragen stares coldly at Jack. He turns away and slowly walks to a table, picking up a combat knife, and looking at the reflection the light generates on the blade, as if admiring it.

"Oh, you'll tell me what I want to know sooner or later. You have no idea how long I can keep you alive without killing you. After a while you'll wish you were dead... but you won't die, not before you tell me what I want to know." Ragen walks back to Jack and slices open Jack's shirt with the knife, not touching the skin yet.

"Now... tell me who told you and what else you know and I'll make this quick and painless."

As the two halves of Jack's shirt fall to the side, they reveal numerous scars on Jack's torso. Ragen notices them instantly and realizes they can only be from previous interrogations. The fact that this Bauer guy is still here can only mean that he won't be easy to break.

Jack holds Ragen's stare, and notices Ragen's eyes falling onto the scars Kingsley's henchmen left him with.

"I'm not afraid of pain.", Jack hisses through his teeth, mentally preparing himself to feel the cold blade of the knife making contact with his body.

He's been here before, walked this line so many times. He's been through so many interrogations, standing on both sides. He knows well enough how long he can hold out before giving up, and yet he's envisioning Ragen's threat vividly. Ragen has a military background, just like himself. He'd probably have no problem with letting him bleed to death. Dying this way wasn't what he'd planned, but if that's what it takes to keep Tony's cover intact, that's what it'll be.

**Division**

Michelle is on the phone. "No, Mr. Secretary, at the present, we have no information as to whether Jack Bauer is alive or captured, all we know is that the helicopter that took the team to the base has been shot down. The most likely scenario, sir, is that Jack has been taken prisoner - at least that's what we hope Sir."

"What about Almeida's cover? Has he been able to give us more information yet?"

Michelle attempts to keep her voice steady while replying. "No Sir. We haven't heard from him yet. I'm sure he's trying to find out whatever he can. He'll let us know when he does."

"I'm sure he is. Let's hope this was all worth it."

Michelle doesn't answer. If anything, it's her more than anyone else hoping it was all worth it. _Will Tony make it? God, please, let him make it out of there alive and well._, she pleads.

"Alright, Miss Dessler, keep me apprised of any new developments."

"We will, Mr. Secretary."

They hang up. Michelle takes the phone between her both hands and puts it to her chest, closing her eyes, sighing heavily.

**Ragen's hideout**

Ragen holds Jack's gaze for a little longer. Then he sighs to himself, almost as if regretting Jack's stubborness. Kneeling in front of Jack he slices the blade on Jack's abdomen slowly, not cutting very deeply but painfully. Jack grits his teeth and strains his muscles, resisting the pain for a while but in the end lets out a surpressed yell.

"No reason for that... there is no one around for miles. You can scream for hours and no one will come for your help. And even if they do, my men will take them out just like they took out your team... So, I'll ask you again Bauer... _Who_ told you?" Ragen says, while looking him in the eye.

**DOD**

Audrey walks into Heller's office. Seeing him concerned, she puts out a worried question. "What is it?"

Heller gets up from his chair, walking towards Audrey "CTU lost contact with Jack. They don't know if he's still alive. And apparently, the other team on the site of the terrorist compound has been wiped out too. Things are going down here quickly."

Audrey's mind stopped processing any information after it heard the words "lost contact with Jack." _Oh no. No. _They had started dating a while ago and she was beginning to feel like she was falling in love with him. She felt he was the perfect man for her. He had his demons, but was combatting them and she had enjoyed the other side of him. The loving, caring side. He didn't allow her to see through his tough side anyway. He wouldn't talk and she didn't ask, knowing he wanted to leave the past in the past and focus on the future. All she knew was that she hadn't felt like that about a man since she stopped being interested in Paul. And she was afraid of having Jack taken away from her so unexpectedly.

"Audrey.", a voice somewhere far away called. "Audrey." She looked at her father, somewhat absently.

"What is it?", he asked her.

"Nothing." , she attempted to smile. "I was just thinking, if these operations fail, we're nowhere. We need to work out a contingency plan. We can't lose the leads, no matter what."

"No, we can't. Can you make sure our people know what they're doing? I have the feeling we're in kindergarten some days. I don't want today to be one of those days."

She smiled uneasily. "Sure, I will. I'll be in my office if you need me."

"Alright."

At that, Audrey left the room, feeling the need to be alone.

**Ragen's hideout.**

Jack watches the blood gently flowing from a second wound on his abdomen, making sure he concentrates on the simple fact of observing a liquid obeying gravity, not dwelling on the reasons for this fact nor allowing the consequent pain to take over his mind. _Remind yourself Jack, the mission is all that matters. We're all expendable_, he tells himself.

"We can end this anytime you want. Just tell me who told you about my operation." Ragen stands up and walks around Jack, hitting him in the back of the head with his pistol, but not strong enough to make him pass out.

Jack suddenly feels the need to push Ragen. At least if Ragen ended things now, there'd be no need to worry about breaking and Tony's cover would surely stay intact. "You're gonna have to do better than that. I've been through worse."

"As you wish.", Ragen tells him. He goes to Jack's side and stabs him in the arm twisting the knife in the wound before pulling it out. Jack screams loudly, not being able to ignore the pain the stab inflicts. "This is just the beginning. It's only a question of time until you tell me."

Jack's scream echoes through the hideout. The pain is taking over his body, the blood rushes onto the torn shirt and the floor, but his mind stays firm.

"No-one told us anything.", he says a few moments later, after regaining control of his breathing.

In the other room Tony hears Jack's scream and becomes even more worried. _Jack is no stranger to pain but he can't take that forever. He will die before talking but Ragen isn't going to give in either. Ragen is going to kill him. _Tony shakes his head vigorously, trying to get the thought out of his head. _No, no! Neither one of you is going to die. You have to alert the backup team somehow... and try to help Jack._

He thinks for a while and then it hits him. The transponder in his watch. If it is broken, Chloe and the others have to figure out something serious is up since they obviously can't reach Jack.

Tony takes the watch off his wrist and hits it forcefully on the table, hoping to have broken the transponder.

**CTU **

A light on one of the screens on Chloe's desk stops flashing. "Damn it! Tony's signal is gone too!" She picks up the phone to call Erin, but finds her line is busy. Chloe runs up to Erin's office and bursts in. "Miss Driscoll..."

Erin gives her a sharp glance and placing a hand over the phone, she says "Chloe, I can't talk right now."

"But I need to..."

"No _but_ Chloe, get out of my office. I'll call you when I'm done."

"This is urgent!"

"Not. Now.", Erin gives a stern stare.

Annoyed, Chloe turns around and runs back to the main floor. "Steve", she contacts Division. "I lost the signal from Tony's watch. Erin won't do anything about it. You might wanna let Michelle know."

"Alright. I will.", Steve says, glancing up to Michelle's office.

**Ragen's compound**

Ragen grabs Jack by his hair, pulls his head back and leans to his face: "Don't lie to me you bastard.", he whispers menacingly. "I will cut every one of your limbs until all you're left with is bone with strips of flesh hanging from it. Give me a name!", he yells.

As Jack doesn't reply, Ragen lets go of Jack and punches him, then puts a gun to Jack's forehead. "TELL ME!"

Jack remains silent. _He can't shoot you, not yet. Remain calm... Does Kim know where my will is?_, Jack suddenly asks himself.

"DAMN IT!", Ragen shouts as he pulls the gun away again, knowing that he needs Jack alive still. He applies the blade to Jack's torso and slices into it in one flowing movement causing Jack to yell out briefly.

Tony decides to intervene as he hears Jack scream once again. He convinces two of Ragen's men at the door to let him in and enters the room, his eyes falling first on Jack and his bleeding form. Tony looks at Ragen, angry and appalled as a man like Smith would be. "What the hell is this! Who is _he_?"

"Get out of here, that's none of your business." Ragen says as he faces Jack and touches Jack's chest with the tip of the knife, slowly pushing and twisting it until blood starts flowing from the puncture wound, grinning, obviously enjoying the sight.

Jack, relieved to see Tony alive and his cover apparently intact, finds new strength again, and glares at Ragen, not moving a muscle.

Tony steps to Ragen and grabs his arm forcefully. "Yes it is." he says emphasizing each word. "This obviously wasn't a part of the plan. So who is he and why is he here? Or did one of your men make a mistake again?"

"I don't believe this." Ragen drops the knife onto the table and walks to the door, holding it open for Smith.

**CTU team location**

Agent Baker slowly moves his head to the side. Hearing no gunfire, he pulls himself up and staggers onto his feet. A closer look at his chest reveals a hole in his flak jacket. _Whoever invented these was a genius._, he thinks to himself.

After waiting a few seconds to stabilize himself, Baker goes over to each of the members of his team, checking them for a sign of life. Negative. It looks like he's the only one to have survived this assault. He reaches for the radio to contact Chloe, but finds it broken. Assuming it too dangerous to move any of the vehicles, as they could be tracked, he starts moving away from the scene on foot.

**somewhere**

The scene opens with a prison transport bus driving down a dusty, deserted road. Two police cars are escorting it.

Wilma sits in the driver's seat really wishing she wasn't there, she had only done this as a favor as she hated this route, geez dust, dust and more dust, with foul mouthed prisoners as well, this wasn't what she'd signed up for...

**Ragen's hideout**

Tony follows him out of the door and looks at him expectantly with his arms crossed at his chest. "So?"

"Don't _ever_ interrupt me like that again. My Alpha team picked him up at Camp Pendleton, he was with a team we took out. The plan worked flawlessly nevertheless so I don't see how this is any of your business. I was just trying to find out if anyone double-crossed me, that's all. And it does not concern you or your boss."

"If there is a chance this jeopardizes the operation it certainly does concern us. Are you saying you have a leak in your organization!"

"No. That's not what I'm saying. But obviously someone must have tipped them off." Ragen takes one step closer to Tony. "You sure it wasn't you?"

Tony just glares at Ragen and answers decisively. "No."

"No, it was not me." Tony repeats even with more force.

Inside the room, Jack takes the opportunity to breathe and look around the room. The two men that brought him in are still there, watching him carefully.

Jennie calls Ragen to a computer terminal, "This is it, they're just about to attack, I hope you're ready for this!", she grins with venom.

"We'll finish this later." Ragen says to Tony. "You wanna try talking to him, go ahead. I don't have time for this right now."

"Fine.", Tony answers.

**Transport**

Wilma looks to the back of the bus, she doesn't understand it, even after all these years driving prison buses. How can women do such evil things, some of them are fairly attractive looking - it just seems such a waste. Wilma looked in her rear view mirror at the prisoners she was transporting, she really couldn't understand it, 10 female high security prisoners, why commit such vicious crimes of murder and treason? Most of them were pretty young, it just didn't make any sense to her.. Were they forced? No, they looked to strong for that, _Oh well I guess I'll never know or understand it_, she thought to herself.

**Compound**  
Ragen walks over to Jennie quickly and gets ready to monitor the operation. Jennie finds it hard to sit still, with Ragen looking over her shoulder they watch the events unfold.

Tony returns to the room where Jack is and turns to the two men. "Wait outside." he says with a voice that accepts no argument.

The men comply and as they close the door, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changes.

"Hey, Tony. Everything ok?", Jack says in a low voice, trying to smile. The stinging pain is making his arm feel numb and the blood is slowly pooling on his pants, the floor and coloring his entire left arm blood red.

"I'm doing a lot better than you at the moment." Tony says with a faint smile that fades away as he looks Jack in the eye. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay."

"Ragen is a determined man, Jack... Don't provoke him."

"Tony, the only thing that matters is stopping these lunatics and you know I will do whatever it takes to stop them." Jack takes a breath, fighting to remain in control over the pain, before continuing. "I expect you to do the same. The mission is the primary objective, everything else is secondary to this, even my life." Jack gives a brief grin. "Especially my life.", he says, emphasizing the last words.

Tony runs a hand over his face, sighing. "Look, Jack, we're both in this together. I'm guessing they took out the field team with you. CTU has to know something is going on. I broke the transponder in the watch as they brought you here. So don't even think you are expendable. We'll get out of here together and stop these people. Alright?"

_He broke the transponder? That wasn't a very smart move._, Jack is thinking to himself but he's not going to say anything. No need to worry a worried man even more. But without the transponder, if Ragen ever leaves the premises with Tony in the tow, CTU will have no idea where they're going, especially with the teams having been taken out.

Tony walks behind Jack and loosens the ropes binding his hands so that they still appear tied.

Thankful for the release of the pressure, Jack breathes in deeply before speaking again. "Tony... When Ragen comes back in, you better not be here or he'll think something's up. Stay away from me as much as possible, they can't find you out."

Tony's emotions are waging war in his head. He does not want to leave Jack into Ragen's hands but he also knows Jack has a point. Ragen and his people are still not trusting him and pushing things further might blow his cover and then they both will be in trouble. "Yeah.", he replies after a while.

Jack glances towards the door, as if to make sure no-one's coming, then looks at Tony again.

"Tony, there's a good chance I might not make it out of here alive."

"No, Jack-"

"Tony. Listen to me. When you get out of here, you have to talk to Michelle about the man I met at the Griffith Observatory. I've updated her. She'll know what to do. Now go. Find out what their next target is. Go."

Tony's hesitation makes Jack repeat himself. "Go, Tony. I'm fine."

Tony stands there a moment longer, holding his breath, then exhales and nods. "Yeah."

He walks to the door, looks back at Jack once more, then exits the room. Striding away from the door and Jack, Tony calls out to Ragen, who leaves the monitors and walks over.

"He's not talking to me either." Tony says.

"That's not surprising. He seems to have been in situations like these before. Won't be easy to break him."

_You have no idea._ Tony thinks. "Alright. But you can't get rid of him before this phase of the operation is complete. If someone interferes, he could be used as a bargaining chip.", Tony continues.

"Yeah, you're right." He looks at Jennie and continues. "I'll send my men in to watch him, but now I have some other matters to attend to."

Ragen leaves and Tony goes back to the room where he was as Jack was brought in. Ragen sends his men to watch Jack, and sends another one, a man named Sean, with Tony, to keep him company.


	10. A Face from the Past

**Ragen's hideout**

Jack sees the men walk back inside the room. With his hands almost untied... Could he risk it? Maybe. But he dismisses the thought almost instantly. They wouldn't make it to the exit. Plus he doesn't know where Tony is. One of the men takes a seat on the only other chair in the room, while the other one remains standing, facing Jack, watching the blood from Jack's arm slowly pooling onto the concrete floor of the room.

"Hey Bauer. How long you think you can pull this off, eh? Why don't you just talk, make life easier for all of us?", one of them says.

"I'm not walking out of here alive anyway. I'm not gonna die a traitor.", Jack answers.

"Who said anything about dying? We can keep you alive for a week if we want to. You're gonna wish you were never born."

Jack stares defiantly at Ragen's thug. "I'm not talking.", Jack hisses through his teeth. _Trust me, you can't break me, you moron.Others have tried before you. People with a higher IQ too._

At that, the man who's standing grabs Ragen's knife from the table and decides to try this game himself. Placing the knife to the stab wound already inflicted on Jack's arm, he leads the blade downward slowly, slicing into the flesh. Jack groans in pain until he can't hold back a shout anymore.

Ragen, in the main hall, hears this. "What the hell! Jennie, monitor the op." he says to her and he walks over to the room where Jack is. Swinging the door open, he yells "What's this? I sent you in to watch him, not to do my job!"

The man with the knife steps back and tries to say something, but Ragen pulls out his gun and shoots him. Turning to the other one of his thugs, and pointing the gun at him, he says "Don't ever ignore my orders."

"I won't.", the man answers softly, doing his best not to provoke his boss.

Ragen holsters back the gun. "Find something to bind the wound and stop the bleeding. I don't need him to die yet."

"Yes, Sir."

At that, Ragen leaves the room.

Tony is in the room with another one of Ragen's men, Sean. He doesn't talk to the man, just sits and thinks trying to figure out a way to get in touch with Division and CTU.

He hears Jack's scream and after a while a gunshot. Then silence.

_Oh no. Did Ragen just kill Jack?_

But soon he hears Ragen yelling to the other man and breathes a sigh of relief. _So Jack is still alive.Good._

As his eyes fall on Tony's hands Sean notices Tony's watch is broken. As he looks around the room, he sees small pieces of shattered glass on and under the table in the room. _What the hell is going on here?_, he thinks to himself.

"What happened to your watch?", he asks as he slowly approaches Tony's position.

As Sean approaches Tony, Tony realizes he has no choice but to take him out of play. "I nearly fell and hit my watch on the table. There's a damn crack on the floor. Come here and I'll show you.", he tells Sean.

"Oh yeah?", Sean approaches and bows down to take a look at the place where Tony pointed. Now Tony takes his weapon and hits the man on the head very hard. Sean slumps to the floor and Tony reaches down to him, twisting his neck.

He then grabs the body and drags it to the far corner of the room, behind some storage boxes and shelves so that it is out of sight.

_We have to get out of here soon.We have the only information about these people._, he thinks and sits back down on the chair, hoping that what he just did wasn't caught on a camera.

**The road**

Wilma watches the road, it doesn't seem to end and there doesn't seem to be anything around to look at, unless you like dust.

"Bravo team, hold your positions." Jennie says into the mike.

"Roger that. We have a visual on the target."

"Engage at will."

"Copy that. We're a go."

As the prison transport approaches the location of Ragen's team, one of the snipers fires a shot into a tire of the bus.

Wilma tries to keep control of the vehicle as it swerves from one side of the road to the other, some of the female passengers start to panic as they see that the guards have no control over what is happening. Wilma feels there is no way she can keep the vehicle on track, so she attempts to radio the escorting vehicles for assistance.

The prisoners start to yell and shake, as they realize they are trapped, shackled to the vehicle, with no means of escape from this ordeal. As the bus starts to swerve and other inmates scream, one blonde woman is completely silent and calm. Almost as if she was expecting this. _I see he came up with a plan. Now we just have to get out of here_, she thinks.

Ragen's team leader watches as Wilma tries to take control of the bus. When the bus finally stops, he takes aim at her head, and waits for a clear shot.

Wilma panics as she stops the vehicle, she realizes in an instant that it wasn't a normal blow out. Everything was coming clear, for a few seconds at least.

The police officers escorting the bus exit the vehicles, those inside the bus get up and watch the prisoners. "I want everyone to remain calm and quiet. We probably just have a flat tire. The officers will assess the situation and we'll be en route again soon." one of the guards orders the convicts.

Wilma carefully removes her seatbelt and steps out of the bus, "What the hell happened?" she calls over to the other officers, she heads round to the side of the vehicle and looks under the chassis to check the damage, she notices the tire completely wrecked and unsalvagable. She waits silently, hearing the first movement of booted feet move across the decripit land scape.

The blonde woman, looking out of the bus, hears a few brief gunshots and a dull thud as the two officers and Wilma are shot dead.

Ragen's team enter the bus, gunning down everyone and anyone inside, prisoners, guards, it didn't matter to them, they were just obstacles in their way and nothing was allowed to get in the way of their objective. Not today, today was too important. They had to be swift about this, but untraceable at the same time.

As the bodies of the prisoners and wardens fall to the ground like flies, the blonde woman, whose face we haven't seen yet, sits calmly in her seat, waiting, obviously unimpressed by the shootout inside and outside the bus, almost as if knowing that she would survive it all.

Ragen waits for the gunfire to seize, then radios the team leader, who is still in his position, laying low, overlooking the ground, watching for anyone who may try to escape. "Michael, come in. I want a full status report.", he hears Ragen's voice.

"The mission is a success. No complications. The target has been apprehended.", Michael reports.

"Good. Get back here now."

"Copy that, Major Sir."

Ragen places the headset on the table next to Jennie and breathes a sigh of relief to himself. At least something was working out right today. He allows himself to smile for a few brief seconds.

Michael contacts his second in command, who is cutting the chains to free the only female survivor on the bus. "We are a go for transport.", he tells him and receives a "Copy that." in return.

With that, the chains holding the woman's feet securely in place are cut, then the cuffs follow. The woman stands up and calmly follows him out of the bus.

She stops in the field, her dirty boots covered in dust and falling apart, her orange pants at least two sizes too large, white T-shirt full of blood spatter from the massacre on the bus; she takes off her orange shirt spotted red with blood and drops it in the dirt, and takes a scrunchie from her pocket to tie her hair. As she does so, finally her face is revealed.

It's Marie Warner.

**Division**

Michelle's intercom rings. "Michelle. It's Steve. I'm in contact with Camp Pendleton, can you come down here?"

"I'll be right there.", she replies and swiftly descends the stairs to the main floor, joining Steve at his desk and grabbing a headset. "This is Michelle Dessler, Division Deputy Director. Who am I talking to?"

"This is Major Deane. I am the Officer in Charge of Base Security."

"Major Deane. Have you been able to secure the base again?"

"Yes, Ma'am. The base is secure. We still have teams looking for additional explosive charges. The attack started just as we were alerting our reserve teams here."

"Can your teams move around the base? The unit that we sent in order to try and prevent the attack hasn't reported back with us. I need to know if your men found anything. We lost contact with them at the North end of the base. We suspect that they have been ambushed by the same people that attacked your base."

"We have already found a wreckage of a helicopter, and the crew within it but we haven't searched the whole northern area yet. The fires are still impeding movement. So far we have discovered a few members of your team, but no hostiles."

"Have you been able to identify any of our men yet?"

"We haven't done so yet, Ma'am, but we can check if you need us to."

"As soon as your situation allows it, we would need to know if any of our men survived and have possibly been captured."

"Alright, Ms Dessler, I'll make sure it's done."

"Thank you, Major. Will you get back to me if you discover anything new."

"Yes, Ma'am, we will."

"Thank you."

Michelle lays the headset to a desk. "We still don't know what happened to Jack.", she glances at her watch. "DOD wants an update in three minutes. Will you set up a conference?", she asks Steve.

"Sure. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Thanks."

**Ragen's hideout**

Jack, in the holding room, is trying to hold the ropes around his wrists as tightly as he can, so it doesn't look suspicious to the man who'd been ordered to take care of the wound in his arm. Using torn pieces of garment, the man places one thick layer of fabric on the wound and then ties two pieces around Jack's arm tightly, hoping to stop the bleeding this way. _For now. Until Ragen does it again_, he smirks.

As Jack watches him do this, his thoughts are not concerned with the pain he's in, he's thinking about Tony. Sure enough, Tony's cover hasn't been blown yet from what he could tell. But the transponder wasn't working and Baker's team must have been taken out. How anyone could rush to Tony's help if anything goes wrong is a question Jack can't even begin to answer.

**Somewhere en route to LA**  
Marie and the rest of the team are in the vehicles and on their way. After getting safely away from the ambush site, they stop at a remote location so that Marie can change into casual clothing as they are approaching the city.

"Do you have anything else to handle at this point or are you to take me directly to him?", she asks Michael.

"We're going straight back to the OC now. Major's orders." one of the men replies.

**Ragen's hideout.**  
Tony leaves the room after making sure Sean's body is hidden from view. He goes to the room where Ragen and Jennie are observing the monitors.

"How is everything proceeding?", Tony asks them.

Jennie looks up from the screen, her wicked smile turning down a little as she meets his eyes, "What's it got to do with you? But as you're asking", she smiles again, "It's going perfectly!"

Ragen gives Jennie a look of 'shut up'. "That was just my side job working out. No interference with the big picture whatsoever. So you can tell your boss he can calm down. Everything's fine.", Ragen tells Tony.

"Is the assault on the next target going as planned?"

"Yes it is. Look, Jim... " Ragen looks around, the man he sent to watch Smith isn't with him . "Where is Sean?" Tony's puzzled look elicits an explanation from Ragen. "Sean. I sent him with you earlier. Where is he?"

"Ah him. He went to check something with the sentries." Tony says unphased.

_I specifically asked Sean to stay with Smith._, Ragen thinks to himself.

"He's probably gone for a smoke again, he's always goofing off", Jennie comments.

"Go find him.", Ragen tells Jennie. "No-one gave him permission to go anywhere." Then he turns to Tony. "Alright... So, are you waiting for an update again for your boss or what? I mean, you gonna stand there all day or let me work?"

"Yes. I need to update him again soon. You know he has a lot invested in this. More than just finances. Are your teams en route already?"

"The alpha team will be ready in 40 minutes. The target will be hit in 80, as planned."

"Alright.Good." _What the hell is the next target? I need to know. Think, Almeida. You gotta find out something!_

Jennie glances up at Ragen then back at her screen, "Everything seems to be going according to plan, as long as everyone keeps their wits about them and doesn't lose their nerve - or their lunch - everything should be fine!", she says in her British accent. Tony would be amused if the situation were different.

Ragen can hardly manage not to chuckle at Jennie's comment about the lunch. He glances at Tony: "Look, Jim. Why don't you join Jared over there and he'll walk you through the rest of the plan, alright? I've got someone coming over soon." _I really don't have the time to babysit this guy right now. Plus Marie will be here soon._

"Alright." Tony nods and walks over to Jared.

Jennie gets up from her seat, now she knows everything is in place, she can go and find that waste of space Sean._ I can't believe he's goofing off, not today,_ she thinks. Jennie heads out through the door to where Sean usually hangs out.

**DOD**

Audrey walks into her father's office. "Do we have any new information from CTU?"

"I was just on my way to the breefing. They're supposed to call in in a minute."

"Mind if I join you?", Audrey asks, worried. _I need to know if Jack's still alive._

"No. Of course not." Heller walks to the door and they enter a conference room. Pete is waiting for them there, and so are Erin and Michelle via tele-conference. "Mr. Secretary. Ms Raines.", Pete greets them. A brief nod from each of them, and Heller gets to the point.

"Erin. What do we know?"

"Mr. Secretary. Unfortunately, I can't give you any good news, Sir. We have confirmed that our team at the compound has been taken out. LAPD reports that five men were found dead. One man is still unaccounted for. It is possible that he survived or has been captured, we cannot contact him at the moment."

"Is it also possible that he was the reason for the attack?"

"Agent Baker? No. No, Sir, I don't think so. He will report to us as soon as he can, I am sure. Also, we have only recently lost Agent Almeida's tracking signal. Sir, this doesn't have to mean that his cover has been blown, he might have destroyed the tracker himself."

"Why would he do that?", Audrey questions. "If he knows that it's the only way to track his position?"

Michelle answers this question. "It is possible that Agent Almeida broke the transponder to alert us. He might not have been able to contact us after we last heard from him. We have also been in contact with the marine unit at Camp Pendleton. Our field team at the base has been taken out as well. We assume that Jack Bauer has been taken hostage, Sir, and the broken transponder may mean he has been brought to Ragen's compound."

"That's a lot of assumptions, Michelle. What are we doing to see if any of this is a fact?", Heller asks.

"Sir, at present, there isn't much that we _can_ do. If we sent another field unit in, and our agent's cover hasn't been blown, then that action _will_ blow it. We have to hope that he will able to establish contact with us soon

"Alright, notify me as soon as you got something from there."

"We will, Sir."

**Ragen's hideout**  
Ragen takes a moment to organize his thoughts. Marie is on her way, the teams are almost out, Smith - well, Smith's a necessary evil - and this Jack Bauer... He doesn't really think he can take the time to break this guy, that seems like a hard task, especially without any background intel on this guy. He walks over to one of his people working on a computer. "Barry. I asked you to find me the file on Jack Bauer. What have you got?"

Tony hears this and becomes even more worried. _A file on Jack? What kind of contacts do these people have if they can access personnel files?_At the same time, he's getting frustrated at the "information" Jared is giving him._ Nothing substantial. Ragen told them to keep me away from anything sensitive. Son of a bitch!_

Barry looks concerned as he reads off what's in front of him on the computer screen. "This guy is a major player in the military, just for starters. He has a Special Forces background. Currently employed by the Department of Defense, but prior to that he was Special Agent in Charge of CTU and Head of Field Ops!", Barry glances at Ragen realising what a mess they could be in, "Do you need more to know how dangerous his being here right now is?"

"I don't believe this. No wonder he was in charge of leading that field unit out at Camp Pendleton." Ragen reads on, getting to personal information about Jack. _Widower, one daughter, Kimberly, former CTU employee._

He reads on. The more he sees, the clearer it is to him that the only way to break this guy is to threaten not him, but someone he cares about. Only they didn't have access to anyone...

"Alright Barry, thank you.", he says curtly, then calls Jennie on her cell phone.

Jennie answers her cell phone, "What?", she can't find Sean anywhere, he wasn't in his usual haunts, so she'd retraced his probable steps back to the last place he was seen by Smith, in the room they had waited in. She was looking around whilst listening to Ragen, but all she could see were boxes.

"Jennie, have you found him yet?"

"No I can't find the little weasel anywhere.", she said, walking around the table in the room.

"That's odd.", .Ragen says. "He's not answering his cell phone either." _Could Sean be the one who sold us out?_, Ragen thinks. "Alright, get back here, I need you at your terminal."

"Okay, heading back, he's not around here anyway, I'm sure I'd smell him!", she says and turns away from the table, not noticing the broken glass on the floor underneath it.

Ragen hangs up the phone, then turns his attention to the security camera footage. Outside the building, he notices the team arriving. Tony sees Ragen getting ready to welcome them and decides that it is probably safer to leave the scene until it is clear who is there. Sounds of vehicles pulling up to the yard can be heard and after that some voices. Tony thanks Jared and moves away, to the back of the room, where he is as hidden from view as is possible, but with a good view of the entrance. He stands still and watches.

The door opens and one of the team leaders enters with Marie behind him and the rest of the men following. Marie goes directly to Ragen to greet him. She does not see Tony immediately, but Tony realizes who just entered.

_Marie Warner, son of a bitch._

Swiftly, Tony turns away from the arriving group and heads to the holding room where Jack is, entering it and closing the door behind him. Jack isn't alone, so they can't talk, but the look in Tony's eyes unmistakingly tells Jack that something just went terribly wrong.

Ragen sees Jennie coming back. "Jennie, I'd like to introduce you to Marie Warner. Marie, Jennie's been a great help in the operation today.

"Hey Marie, glad to have you here!", Jennie greets Marie in a friendly tone.

"Jennie. Good that there are people who can help us in reaching the change we want.", she answers neutrally.

"Oh Marie, you haven't changed a bit." Ragen hugs her, smiling brightly. He looks at the team members who have just arrived with Marie. "I have to take care of something here."

He strides up to one of the men. "Hey, Diego.", he calls up to a Hispanic-looking guy.

The man turns around, fear in his eyes. "Major, Sir, I..."

"Shut up. You only screw up once in my organization.", Ragen says curtly, pulls out his pistol and shoots the man.

Then, holstering his gun, Ragen goes back to Marie and smiles at her. "Well, let me give you an update. Everything has worked flawlessly so far..."

"Except for that little incident at Camp Pendleton!" Jennie says gleefully. She loves dropping people, especially people like Ragen into trouble.

"Incident? What is this indicent she's talking about?", Marie asks, alarmed.

"Ah, nothing.", Ragen dismisses it with a casual wave of hand. "We had some interference from a government agency. We've got it under control, however. We've captured the team leader and taken out everyone else. Everything's fine, Marie, don't worry."

Jennie sniggers, "Everything will be taken care of soon enough."

"A government agency? I need to see the guy. " Marie ays, having a bad feeling about this.

"Fine." Ragen leads Marie towards the holding room. "It's a waste of time, but if you insist..."

Inside the room, Jack hears footsteps approaching. He looks at Tony. Both men wait tensely for the door to open.

Marie swings open the door and steps in, immediately stopping in her tracks.

"What the hell? What are they doing here!", she exclaims.

As Marie walks in, fear is clearly visible even in Jack's eyes. This was a totally unexpected development. _Dammit! This is bad. Very bad._

"What do you mean they? You know them?", Ragen asks.

"Of course I do! They're both with CTU, they're federal agents!"

"How do you know that!", Ragen asks, shocked. He knows about Jack, and he's had his suspicions about Smith or whatever this guy's name is, but how can Marie know them?

"They put me in jail for god's sakes! How could you be so stupid!"

Enraged, Ragen grabs a rifle that was leant against the wall, turns to Tony and slams the rifle into his stomach, yelling: "You lying son of a bitch!"

Tony falls to his knees from the force of the blow, the wind knocked out of him. He tries to regain his breath.

Marie states coldly: "Kill them both."

"What do _you_ think I'm gonna do!." Ragen pulls his gun, chambers a round and first aims at Tony.

_No, you can't kill him!_ "No! Wait! He isn't working with us!", Jack yells.

"What are you talking about?", Ragen asks.

Jack looks at Marie. "This man is a convicted traitor. Just like you Marie." he says with as much contempt in his voice as he can possibly produce. "They'd never let him set a foot in CTU, let alone work for us!" He looks at Ragen. "It's true, check his record, Tony Almeida, CTU."

"Oh really? Now if he's not working with you why are you trying to protect him?", Marie says coldly as she glares at Jack..

Jack pauses for a couple of seconds before replying. "Cause we used to be friends once."

Marie grins evily. "Oh how cute." She points her gun at Jack. "Say goodbye to your friend, Jack."

Jack stares at her fearlessly.

Tony looks over at Jack as if telling him not to do this, but he knows that to Jack the mission comes first and keeping his cover is Jack's priority.

"Wait. If his name is Almeida, why would he be posing as Smith unless he's working with you, uh? Tell me that!", Ragen stops Marie from pulling the trigger.

"He changed his name after the president pardoned him. Supposedly so he could work with scum like yourself. We've been trying to track him down ever since, and it lead us here.", Jack says knowing that Ragen never communicated with Smith other than online, and there was no way he could know this wasn't true. He'd suspect it, but he wouldn't know it. So there's a chance Tony might stay alive.

Ragen thinks this over for a just a short while, then decides.

"Alright, tell you what. There's a way to find out. Ragen removes Tony's gun from the holster and hands it to Tony, staring him down coldly. "Kill him and I'll let you live. Don't do it and you both die."

Fighting against himself, Tony hesitatingly takes the gun from Ragen. His mind racing, he tries to evaluate his options, but finds himself in a no-win situation, where he'll either lose a friend and continue the mission or...

Jack glares at Tony. "Do it you traitor son of a bitch. Save your own ass." _Please Tony, don't blow your only chance to stay alive. We both promised Michelle you'd come back._

Slowly, feeling all eyes in the room on him, Tony raises the gun and looks Jack in the eye. Pulling the hammer back on the gun, he can feel sweat starting to cover his brow. The two men keep eye contact as Ragen's eyes are firmly set on Tony.

Just for a moment there, the deathwish he had had for years comes back up inside Jack. Just for a second, he _really_ wishes Tony would pull the trigger. Jack's stare leaves no doubt, Tony has no other choice.


	11. Cover Blown

**DOD / CTU / Division Briefing  
**  
"What do we know about Camp Pendleton's situation? How badly were they hit, and furthermore are the Marines there still able to respond to more attacks elsewhere if the need arrises?", Heller asked Michelle.

"Sir, it is still too early for a full situation report, but from what we know, they have not been incapacitated. However, they have not yet been able to apprehend Ragen's men. It is possible they are still at the base, although very unlikely."

"Alright, I want you to put me in contact with someone at the Base, I need to hear first hand what's going on there. And keep me apprised of any changes regarding Almeida's or Bauer's situation."

"We will, Sir.", Erin answered, and Michelle nodded in agreement. The line was disconnected and Heller turned to his daughter. "Audrey, I want you to stay on top of this. Let me know if anything new comes up. I need to update the president."

"Sure, I will.", Audrey nodded and they left the conference room, with Pete following them out.

**Ragen's hideout**

Tony stands there, the gun pointed at Jack. He can't do it and Jack can see it. Maybe Jack could pull the trigger if their positions were reversed. But Tony cannot sacrifice his friend, even knowing the potential consequences. He hesitatingly starts to squeeze the trigger, but at the last moment he turns it towards one of Ragen's men in the room and fires.

As Tony begins to avert the weapon from him, Jack's only thought is that this is the end of the mission. Neither of them will get out alive. He closes his eyes for a second, waiting for Ragen to shoot them both.

_Dammit, Tony, why couldn't you listen to me!_, Jack thinks to himself. _I told you a dozen times not to back off from something like this.  
_  
As the guard falls to the ground with a fresh hole in his head, Ragen points the rifle to Tony's head, Marie does the same with her pistol. "Drop it, Almeida.", Ragen says.

Resigned, Tony raises his hands and slowly reaches down to put the pistol to the ground.

"Step away from the gun. Down on your knees. Hands behind your head. You know the drill." Ragen orders Tony. While Ragen still holds Tony at gunpoint, Marie bows down to pick up Tony's weapon from the ground.

As Jack watches Tony surrender, his thoughts are racing. They're running out of time. He won't allow them to kill Tony. But what are his options? Sure, the ropes around his wrists are loosened, but right now, their chances of survival would be very low if he tried anything.

Tony complies with Ragen's command. He knows that Jack had hoped for him to do as told but he couldn't have lived with a clear conscience after that. At least now, if he dies, he knows he did what he thought was right at the time.

Not losing his aim, Ragen reaches for a two-way with his free hand and calls Jennie, to have her send a couple more guards into the room. Both he and Marie wait until the door opens and the men walk in. They instantly realize what's going on, and one of them takes aim at Tony's head, the other one at Jack's. Then, Ragen lowers his rifle and strides over to Tony.

Tony watches Ragen approaching him and just looks him in the eye defiantly.

**Division**

The phone rings in Michelle's office. Michelle closes a file she has been reading and picks it up.

"Division. Dessler."

"Michelle, it's Bill Buchanan. How are things?" he asks casually.

Michelle is a little startled as she recognises the voice on the other end. "Hey. I'm okay. It's been a busy day here today, as you can imagine."

"Yes, I saw the report in the intranet and been following what the media is saying as well." Bill changes his tone to a slightly softer one. "What about things between you and Tony? You told me that things were a little strained between you two. You still planning on coming back to Seattle in the near future?", he asks, his voice full of hope.

Michelle sighs to herself. "I... I don't..." she closes her eyes for a second. "Tony and I are trying to work things out. He has been released from prison only recently, I need to give it some time. Plus, he's trying harder now..." _And risking his life in the process_, she thinks to herself.

"So I take it you're not coming here then?", Buchannan asks, unable to hide a little disappointment in his voice.

Michelle pauses for a few seconds before replying. "Bill... When I requested the transfer to Seattle, I really needed the change of scenery. It was good to be away from all this, just dive into work, do something different, someplace else. But when Tony was released, I... I'm still his wife, Bill. He went to prison _for me_."

"I understand that... I just wanted to make sure you're okay.", Bill says, though admitting to himself that was not the entire truth. He was hoping to see her soon.

Michelle sighs heavily before replying. "Thanks. I am. And if things change for the worse, I have an open request for a leave of absence from CTU."

"Alright. But just so that you know if you need help or someone to talk to, I'm here for you." he says understandingly.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it..." But already she's feeling the time crunch again. "Look, Bill, we're in the middle of a situation here..."

"Yes. I'll let you get back to work then."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it."

Slowly, Michelle hangs up the phone, takes a few moments to breathe in and out deeply, then gets up from her chair and leaves her office, going to the main floor.

**Ragen's compound  
**

"So... Almeida, is that right?..", Ragen says towards Tony, and then pauses for a few seconds.

"Tell me, Almeida, what have you been poking your nose into since you arrived here?... Who have you contacted when you were making your phonecalls? And where is Sean?" he whispers menacingly. "OK, scratch that, I assume you took care of him, you bastard.", he positions himself in front of Tony, waiting for a reply. "ANSWER ME!", he yells as he kicks Tony hard in the stomach.

Tony doubles over in pain, holding his stomach and after getting his breath back he looks again at Ragen and replies.  
"You son of a bitch. Don't you see what you're doing? You're attacking innocent people who have nothing to do with your hatred! Those Marines were not your enemies, they've sworn the same oath as we as officers have!", he scoffs.

"Tony! Don't!" Jack shouts out. The words escape the control of his mind. It's one thing losing your own life, but sacrificing someone you care about? They've both been there. They both know it's just not the same.

"SHUT UP BAUER!", Ragen shouts, waving his weapon towards Jack, "I'll take care of _you_ soon enough!"

He nods to the guard next to Jack, who punches Jack hard across the face, then pulls Jack's head back, and from behind, places a knife at Jack's throat, grinning sadistically as he starts piercing a tiny hole into the skin with the tip of the blade. "Make a sound, and I'll slit your throat just in time for you to watch your friend die with you.", he whispers into Jack's ear.

Ragen grins, then grabs Tony by the hair and forcefully pulls him back up from the floor and onto his knees, tilting Tony's head towards Jack. Red creeks caused by the cuts on Jack's body are flowing down, joining at several points and pooling on his pants and underneath the chair. "Talk to me, Almeida... Look at your bleeding friend. Wanna end up like that, too, huh?", Ragen says, gesturing towards Jack. "Except I don't think you're quite as tough."

Ragen lets go of Tony and pauses, letting his words sink in. He stands, still looking at Tony. "Tell me who you gave the information to and we won't have to find out.", he says menacingly.

Tony streches his upper body again and glares at Ragen, his eyes full of anger and hatred: "Go to hell, you son of a bitch. You've failed, they'll get you." he retorts.

Angered by Tony's impertinence, Ragen hits Tony forcefully at his lower back. "You insolent son of a bitch!" Ragen yells furiously. Tony sinks to the floor with a groan and Ragen kicks him in the stomach. Tony rolls to his side and pulls his knees towards his chest, trying to protect himself. "Don't you ever suggest I could fail!", Ragen shouts again at Tony, determined to beat him to death if need be. Tony feels the full force of the first few kicks in his stomach before Ragen starts bruising his ribs. As Ragen stirs himself into an even bigger rage, his kicks land on Tony without mercy.

Jack watches as Ragen's boot repeatedly disappears from his view, hidden by Tony's body that wraps around it with every kick, and then reappears for a moment only to be buried in Tony's stomach again a moment later. He feels terrified, infurated by this, but is unable to help. _Stop it, you son of a bitch, you'll kill him!_ He doesn't chance a move though, the sharp blade of the knife still in close contact with his Adam's apple. _Hold on, Tony. Hold on_, he begs inwardly.

It seems to Tony as if countless minutes have passed as he hears his ribs crack, the explosive pain spreading through his chest.Trying to protect himself, Tony moves his arms to his chest when Ragen kicks him in the head. Breathing heavily, Ragen stops for a while. "Ready to talk now, Almeida?", he utters.

Sensing that blood is flowing from his nose, Tony instinctively puts his hands to his face, trying to keep it from flowing into his eye. Getting lightheaded from the blow to the head and moaning in pain, he rolls over to his back, inwardly praying for Ragen to stop before he can no longer control the urge to regurgitate his entire stomach contents in front of Jack.

"Not yet, huh?", Ragen concludes after a short while and begins kicking Tony again. Laying sprawled on the floor, Tony can feel him hitting his kidneys, only praying that they won't start bleeding. After giving a couple of savage kicks more to Tony's back and side, Ragen motions to the man who has had his gun pointed at Tony: "Get him up."

The man approaches Tony and kneels beside him. Tony is still dazed from the blows and doesn't resist, allowing the thug to grab him and haul him up, holding him up by his arms.

Ragen stares at Tony for a few seconds. A bright red streak is spreading from Tony's eyebrow down his cheek, his upper lip is broken and blood from the nose is flowing by the side of his mouth.

Ragen lifts Tony's chin so he can look him in the eye and speaks directly to Tony's face: "I'll ask you again, you scumbag. Who did you contact?... I can prolong your agony, soon you'll beg me to let you die but I won't let you. I _will _break you before I kill you."

Tony doesn't say anything, he just stares at Ragen with hatred in his eyes. _You can beat me Ragen, but you´ll never break me mentally. I've already spent my time in Hell_., he thinks to himself.

As the guard holds Tony, Ragen punches him multiple times in the stomach, then nods for his henchman to let go and step back. Tony hits the floor, lying still, trying to recover, the severe pain in his entire body stopping him from even trying to move.

Happy to finally be able to get revenge for what Tony and Jack did to her, Marie laughs as Tony sacks to the floor again, and then she slowly walks over to Jack, an evil stare in her eyes. The thug behind Jack lets go of him and steps back.

Marie stops in front of Jack and stares at him for a couple of seconds, enjoying the sight. Then, out of nowhere, she grabs Jack's wounded arm, squeezing the wound tightly, until the rags wrapped around it are painted deep red again. Jack groans in pain when she presses on the wound, but she smiles wickedly and whispers to him:"Payback's a bitch, isn't it Bauer?"

While Marie is still squeezing the wound on his left arm, Jack decides it is now or never. Dropping the loosened ropes to the floor, Jack grabs Marie's throat with his right hand, grabs her gun with his left, shoots the thug standing next to Tony and pushes Marie into the man who had had the knife at his throat. Marie and the guard land on the floor and the man hits his head on the wall, passing out instantly.

Now standing, Jack backs to the wall and aims the gun at Ragen. "Move away from him."

Unimpressed by this display, Ragen aims his weapon at Tony, who is still on the floor, knees pulled up to his chest, trying to soothe the agonizing pain in his entire torso.

"Or else what?", Ragen scoffs at Jack.

Jack says nothing, but pulls the hammer back on his gun, looking Ragen in the eye as he does so. _God, please let me be faster than him_.

"Drop the weapon Bauer. Or your friend dies. You know I have the time to fire before that bullet hits me."

Not averting his eyes from Ragen for even a split second, Jack briefly moves his gun out of position and shoots the unconscious guard who is lying on the ground next to Marie. She glares at Jack, not daring to make a move. Her eyes are wide open in shock, the bullet having flown just inches past her own head.

"She's next." , Jack states dryly. "I don't know why you broke her out of prison, but I take it you had a personal reason. So, you kill my friend, I kill yours and then it's just the two of us."

After hearing the first sounds of gunplay, Jennie jumps from her seat, _Dammit, I knew this was going way too smoothly, _she thinks to herself. _And I guess we're not on the good side of those bullets either._ She draws her weapon, deciding carefully which is the best way to play this out. She hears Ragen yelling and someone yelling back, she presumes it must be that Bauer guy. _Perfect! If he's loose, it would not be good news, a guy with his record..._

She leaves her desk and paces the room to find a good location to wait concealed. _Let's just hope I was wrong about Smith, but my gut doesn't usually let me down_, she thinks. _Besides, how did Bauer get loose? He had to have someone on the inside, watching his back and it had to be Smith_. Well, at least her gut instinct wasn't letting her down, even if everyone else around her was. She makes her way around the room. Whatever's going to happen, she'll be ready for it. She looks around. _Where the hell is everyone else? Right, some of them are on their way to their next assignment. _The plan won't be stopped by this whole thing here, so that's good. _The others are outside. _

Inside the holding room, Ragen stares at Jack fearlessly. "Go to hell, Bauer!" He starts to squeeze the trigger, while Tony closes his eyes, waiting for the shot to ring out any moment.

"Alright! OK, I'm putting my weapon down, ok?" Jack says. "I'm putting it down!", he repeats and Ragen slowly releases the pressure on the trigger, but not averting the gun from Tony.

"Do it now.", Ragen says, and watches Jack carefully, resolved to shoot both Jack and Tony in an instant.

"Here." Jack begins to lower his weapon very slowly, and Ragen already starts smirking sadistically. But instead of dropping his gun, Jack suddenly raises it again, and pulls the trigger, hitting a surprised Ragen between the eyes, and Ragen goes down.

Jennie is listening to the conversation as best she can, she hears Ragen's venomous comment to Bauer, then the gunshot, she listens, but no longer hears Ragen, _Crap, sounds like he's down. Great, now what?_ Jennie reaches for her radio, "I need back up in here now, Ragen is down, I repeat, Ragen is down!"

"Tony, you alright?", Jack asks, his eyes and aim now on Marie.

"Yeah.", Tony breathes a sigh of relief and begins to pull himself up to his knees, slowly, but groans in pain loudly as he forces himself to stretch his torso so he can stand up. Annoyed with himself, he sinks back to the floor. "Son of a bitch..."

"Hold on, Tony.", Jack says and walks backwards towards him, while keeping his gun pointed at Marie. Still holding the weapon in his left hand, he pulls Tony up with his good arm, carefully watching Marie as he does so. When Tony is stable on his feet again, Jack carefully lets go of him. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah." Tony nods. It feels as though there isn't an inch of his body that isn't hurting. He's struggling to force his rib cage to move so he can breathe, still slightly nauseated from the blow to the head and fighting for his stomach contents to remain where they belong when his entire abdominal area feels like it's been put through a grinder. But there is no other choice, they have to leave the premises quickly. "Yeah, I can.", he says again. _Mom always said if you lie to yourself often enough, you'll start believing it at some point. You better hope she was right_, Tony tells himself.

_Like hell you're alright... You're not, my friend. I know you're not. But we got to move_, Jack thinks, but hopes they'll make it out safely anyway. "OK, let's go.", Jack says, waiting for Tony to take a first few steps towards the door, but Tony doesn't move for a few seconds.

"Jack I..." Tony sighs, feeling the need to explain himself and also trying to recollect some strength. "I just couldn't pull that trigger."

"It's alright." Jack answers. He knows Tony well enough to understand what he was going through. "Pick her up. We gotta get out of here.", he tells Tony, still aiming at Marie. "Marie, I'm warning you. Don't try anything. I'd hate to blow that pretty head of yours to pieces. Get up."

Marie does as told, then Jack picks up a gun off one of the dead men and hands it to Tony, who takes the gun but then staggers for a moment as a wave of pain hits him powerfully and he has to hold onto one of the chairs for a second, somehow managing to escape Jack's attention. He doesn't want Jack to think he needs to lead him out of there like an old man, knowing that Jack will have his hands full taking care of that Barbie-look-a-like-terrorist by the wall. Tony grabs Marie by her arm and pushes her forward in front of him and towards the door. "Let's go."

Jack grabs his phone from the table where Ragen's men had put it when they brought him in and puts on his jacket, after throwing away the bloody pieces of his shirt. "Stay here.", Jack whispers to Tony, as he slowly opens the door, hiding behind it to assess the situation. The room seems way too deserted. _This is not right_, Jack says to himself. _Nothing's right here._

Jack reaches for Marie and pulls her in front of him, then walks through the door with her, and Tony follows, both men trying to stay as covered as possible, staying close to the wall.

Wordlessly, Jack signals to Tony to pass them and Tony does, finding shelter behind a shelf and flattens himself against it. He carefully looks around, then motions for Jack to join him, who does. "We need to get to the other end of the compound.", Tony whispers. "I remember Ragen's got most of his guards at the front door, we stand a better chance going the other way.", he finishes.

Jack nods. "OK, let's go.", he whispers back. Tony's probably right about the guards, but the compound seemed large enough to him to seriously doubt their chances of getting through the entire complex and making it out safely. Still, knowing there is no other choice, he tightens his grip on Marie's arm and moves ahead with her.

Jennie watches a doorway she knows they must pass through if they're trying to escape. She can see shadows moving around. She needs a better location. Very quietly, she skirts around the desk a little way, making sure she can't be noticed, _There, that's better, now I've got ya_, she thinks as her view is clear.

Jennie raises her firearm, holding it steady. This is what she enjoys most, inflicting pain on those who think they're superior. She watches carefully and sees her chance. Squeezing the trigger, she aims low and catches Smith in the gut, bringing him down ."Gotcha you weasel, I knew you weren't who you said you were", she mumbles.

As Jennie shoots, suddenly gunfire erupts from all ends of the compound, inside and out. From a corner of his eye, Jack sees Tony's figure fall to the ground behind him, and an immediate feeling of defeat overcomes him. "NOOOOOO!", Jack yells in fear and anger.

As the bullet hit him, Tony felt like someone inserted a hot lead piece into his stomach. He sinks down to his knees, feeling the blood flowing through his fingers and from there he falls to his back. Struggling to stay conscious, he tries to call out for Jack but the pain is too intense.

"Now to finish you off!" Jennie yells. "You son of a bitch!"

Jack dives behind a desk and crawls over to Tony to see if he's still alive and sees a gaping wound in Tony's abdomen, which doesn't make him feel very optimistic. But at least Tony's still breathing. He might be able to help Tony if they get out of here and he gets to a hospital quickly enough.

Jennie raises the gun again, getting ready to fire another round, teaching them not to mess with her. This is her chance to make things right, for everything she believes in. She moves to the side to get a better shot.

Jack notices her movements and fires twice in her direction.

Jennie manages to duck out of the way, _Geez, that was way too close, must focus._

"Tony, stay down." Jack says, purely out of habit, cause obviously, there's not much else Tony can do right now. He knows he has to take care of Jennie before he can help his friend.

The adrenaline was pumping way to strong through Jennie now, she had one goal and one goal only, to destroy.

Jack manages to circle around the desk, hiding from Jennie's view, moving swiftly and not allowing her to lock aim on him.

_Damn this guy, why can't he just give it up?_ "Come on, come on, stand still and let me shoot you for crying out loud", she mutters under her breath.

Tony realizes he has to get away from the open, he's too exposed. He tries to get up but the searing pain quickly forces him down with a quiet groan. Unable to move, he feels the sticky warm blood slowly gathering underneath him.

_This is it, Tony. You're not leaving here alive_, he thinks. _Michelle..._ He tries to picture her pretty face before his mind's eye, her beautiful, deep brown eyes, her wayward curls..._ I know I promised to come back, sweetheart... I'm so sorry to let you down - again._

She had gone to work that morning having a feeling something bad would happen. He had told her it was just the grey weather that was making her feel low. "When you come home tonight, it will all be different. I'll have a job and you'll be promoted", he had told her, smiling, just to reassure her, not believing for a second that he'd actually get that job he'd applied for. He had given her a kiss and she had left.

Tony smiles as he clearly sees her face before him. _I can't think of a prettier sight to die with, honey. Please don't hate me for leaving you. I'll always be with you_, he thinks, feeling his consciousness slowly drifting away; fighting it, but unable to do anything but helplessly wait for death's scythe to cut through the thin thread his life is hanging on.

As Jack approaches Jennie and finally gets a clear shot, a bullet whistles just past his ear and he ducks immediately. "Dammit.", he utters.

The gunfire outside the building starts to cease. Two of Ragen's men in the first room go down from the well placed shots of a CTU field team, with Baker in the lead. They fan out to search the other rooms for any more of Ragen's men. They methodically go from room to room, clearing them with deadly precision. Couple of Ragen's men lay down their arms, seeing that it's a losing battle and the CTU team takes them into custody.

The entrance of the Feds hasn't been lost on Jennie and she begins to run away. As she does so, she moves in Tony's direction. Not wanting to give her another oportunity to finish off his friend, Jack fires a shot in her back.

Jennie feels a sharp pain driving through her back, she stumbles, but manages to catch herself, before falling. Drawing from her reserves, she manages to get behind a doorframe, safe for a second - _but now what?_

Jennie keeps hold of her firearm, trying to block out the pain in her back. _Damn him!_, she thinks to herself. She sees movement in the corner of her eye, knowing she's got to get out of there. She spies some boxes. Maybe there is a way.

Jack slowly follows Jennie, and finds her behind the doorframe. She looks so helpless, almost crouching on the floor, holding on to the gun in her hand although he can clearly see she wouldn't be able to control the path of the bullet. He knows that it's over, with CTU on site and the gunfire starting to die down, and Jack almost lowers his weapon.

But then his eyes fall on Tony. Sprawled on the floor, bleeding, in agony.

He saw her fire that gun. Despite knowing better, he aims at her heart and fires. Twice.

Jack remains standing for a couple of seconds, as if to make sure Jennie is really gone, then turns away and runs over to Tony. Crouching next to him, Jack places his weapon on the floor.

Suddenly, Tony feels a hand slowly being pushed under his head. He was sure the hand was larger, rougher, nothing like Michelle's. Through the haze, he hears a familiar voice speaking to him and realizes it's Jack.. "Tony? Tony, can you hear me?", Jack asks.

Tony gives a slight nod, unable to see clearly because of the pain. Jack is relieved to see Tony's still conscious, although only barely so. Tony grabs Jack´s arm to get his attention. Every breath is like slicing cut to his lungs as the broken ribs move. The pain in his abdomen is almost unbearable, but he knows he cannot give in to the tempting darkness just yet. _Don´t give up just yet. It will all be over soon._ Able to focus momentarily, Tony makes eye contact with Jack..

"Jack….I want you to tell –" Tony starts but is stopped by a surge of pain.

"No, Tony, _you'll_ tell her. _You'll _tell her, you understand me?", Jack tells him. _I'm not letting you die in my arms here_, he thinks, looking towards the exit. "You don't have to talk, help is on the way. Backup's here, we're gonna get you into surgery right away, ok? Just hang in there, alright?", Jack says, the urgency in his voice alone revealing how serious the situation is.

Tony closes his eyes, listening to the faint sounds around him, feeling them get ever more distant.

Jack glances towards the exit, he can hear the backup team approaching but he can't see them. _Dammit, get over here_, he's thinking.

"Let me see this.", Jack says as he slowly pulls his hand away from under Tony's head and carefully lifts Tony's shirt up, to see the wound. Clearly, Tony is losing too much blood, they have to get him to a hospital fast or... Jack doesn't end this thought, it terrifies him to even think about it. He takes off his jacket, folds it quickly and presses it against Tony's wound tightly.

He knows this is hurting like hell. "I'm sorry, Tony, but I have to try to control the bleeding."

Tony moans weakly in pain as Jack presses on the wound but now he knows it's over and finally lets go, sinking into unconsciousness.

While Jack waits for the backup team to find them, Marie Warner is in a car, driving away from the compound, smiling to herself. The passenger's window is broken, shattered glass on the seat next to her.

Baker finally enters the hall and sees a shadow crouching in the half dark of the room. He aims at it, but doesn't fire, shouting that the man identify himself.

"It's Jack Bauer! Tom, don't shoot! Get the paramedics in here NOW, Tony's down!"


	12. The Rescue

**Ragen's compound**

Baker runs out and alerts the medical team. Talking to the doctor, he gestures towards a figure wearing only pants and shoes, in the half dark of the hall, crouching above a motionless body. The medics nod and run over to them.

Jack backs away slightly to let them treat Tony, while staying close to them, unable to leave the scene, watching the only person he trusted lie bleeding on the floor. One of the medics removes Jack's jacket to start treating the wound. He places a bandage on it as the other medic talks to Tony and checks his breathing.

"Tony? Tony, can you hear me? I want you to squeeze my hand... alright."

"Alright. Pulse is 115. Looks like he's lost closer to a liter of blood. Let start an IV, get him stabilized, and into the chopper, asap."

"Got it."

Jack's heart begins to sting, as he witnesses the efforts of the paramedic team to save Tony's life. _Dammit, this should have been me_, Jack's thinking. He'd gladly trade places with Tony at this point. _That bullet had my name on it. If only I hadn't pulled Marie away from him, she would have been his shield, nobody would have shot at her._

"Jack!" Baker calls out to him.

Jack doesn't react for a few seconds and Tom utters his name again. Hesitatingly, Jack turns around. "Yeah?"

"It's Erin." Baker says, as he holds out a phone for Jack to take. "CTU wants an update on the situation."

"There's nothing to report right now. Tony was the only one who had the information.", Jack dismisses the request, not reaching for the phone. Erin is the last person on earth he wants to talk to right now.

Baker waits for a couple more seconds, then backs off and walks away. "Erin, Jack's going to call you back when he knows more."

**Ragen's hideout / Division**

Some CTU agents walk by, pushing in front of them Ragen's men who had given themselves up, other agents inside the building, are starting to remove Ragen's equipment. Computers, laptops, schematics, weapons. If there's anything on those systems, they will try to find out once at CTU.

Jack wipes Tony's blood off his hands with a clean wet towel. He watches as the paramedics lift Tony onto a strecher and rush him towards the helicopter. Knowing that Tony is in good hands now, Jack takes his cell phone and dials a number.

"Division, Dessler.", a voice on the other end answers.

"Michelle, it's Jack."

"Jack." she says, half relieved and amazed. "We were told you had been captured at Camp Pendleton, Baker's team got wiped out. Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Jack glances at his left arm. The wound in it has started bleeding again since Marie squeezed it, and it's stinging. "Yeah I'm ok.", he says, however. That was nothing compared to Tony's situation right now.

"Did you get Ragen?"

"No. He's dead. I couldn't extract any information out of him whatsoever. Baker got here just in time, we only just managed to get Tony out."

"Good." she says letting out a breath she'd been holding. "Is Tony alright?"

Jack doesn't reply immediately. Why was it always him to break bad news to Michelle?

"Jack...?" she asks a feeling of dread surfacing in her mind.

"Michelle... I don't know how to tell you this... While we were trying to escape Ragen... Tony's been shot. But he's alive.", Jack adds quickly, before Michelle starts assuming the worst.

"No..." Michelle drops into her chair, devastated, _God, not now. Just as things are getting better. Not again._, she thinks. "Jack...how bad is it?" she asks with a slightly quivering voice. "I need to know."

He was dreading this question. "I don't know yet..." He knows it's no use holding back the truth. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Michelle, the bullet hit him in the stomach, he's lost a lot of blood. I'm having him choppered to Division, he needs to get into surgery a.s.a.p.. I think he can make it if this happens fast. You need to make sure they're ready for him when the chopper comes in."

Michelle knows she has to stay strong, for Tony's sake if not for her own. "I will." she pauses briefly. "Jack, thank you." she says to him quietly.

"It's gonna be alright." Jack tries to reassure her, though he knows that Tony's chances are 50:50, if everything goes well. "The chopper's on its way now. I'll come in with the Field Team as soon as I can. Michelle... I know I don't need to tell you this but until he's out of surgery, I think you should let someone else take over for you."

"Yes, I will. I'll call the clinic now to make sure they're ready. Talk to you when you get here."

"Yeah, alright. Michelle..."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"I know. It's not your fault."

_Yes, it is_., Jack thinks to himself, but he doesn't say it out loud. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay. I'll be at the clinic."

"I'll find you.", Jack says, then hangs up and watches the helicopter take off.

**Division**

As Jack hangs up the phone, Michelle dials the clinic. "This is Michelle Dessler, an agent is being brought in with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, I need you to set up an operating room..."

The camera shifts to the main floor, where we see Hammond walking in. He stops to sign off on some files that have to be shared with District and CTU.

"Okay, thank you, I'm coming down now.", Michelle hangs up and rushes out of her office and downstairs.

As Hammond is about to head into his office, he sees Michelle coming down the stairs, seeing that something is bothering her. He meets her halfway through the bullpen. "Michelle, what is going on? Is it something with the current operation?" he asks neutrally.

Michelle tries to go past Hammond. She needs to make sure everything is ready when Tony gets in and she won't let him waste her time. "Brad, I don't have time to explain right now. I have to get to the clinic." she says, agitated.

He blocks her path, sincerely puzzled now. "Wait a moment, Michelle. The clinic? Why,what happened?"

"Brad..." better to say it, or he'll waste more time... "Tony has been shot. Jack is having him transferred over here, we need to get him into surgery as soon as the helicopter gets here, I really have to make sure the clinic is up to this."

Hammond doesn't at first believe he´s hearing this."What? How?" he asks.

"I don't know the details yet, Brad, i'm sure we'll know soon enough. All I know is that Jack and Tony were trying to escape from the hideout when Tony was hit. His condition seems critical."

"Why are they transferring him here and not one of the trauma centers?"

"We're the closest and our staff is trained for this kind of surgery. You know that every second counts here. Plus, all the information Tony might have collected is inside his head. We need to be able to talk to him as soon as he comes to."

"You should have someone else organize this, you are supposed to be monitoring this operation from our end."

"There _is_ no operation, Brad.", Michelle says, staring at him in disbelief. "Ragen is dead, his men are either dead or captured and Tony hasn't been able to give us more information yet. Until Jack gets here, there's nothing to do but wait. And that's my husband they're bringing in here, Brad, I'm going to do everything I have to to make sure he's well taken care of. Now if you want to fire me for that, fine, otherwise, just let me handle this first."

"Fine, but considering the current situation, I'm taking over this operation from our end, for the time being at least."

"Alright." Michelle agrees. "Jack will be on his way here as soon as he can."

"Have him come see me when he gets here. We need to get this operation moving forward again and might as well debrief him here to save time."

"Yeah." Michelle nods quickly, then turns around and walks fast towards the elevator.

**Ragen's Hideout**

Jack now dials the DOD. He knows his boss will want an update on the situation. "Secretary Heller. This is Jack Bauer."

"Good to hear from you Jack, are you okay? I heard about the incident at Camp Pendleton, what happened?"

"I was captured by Ragen's men, Sir, but I managed to escape. Unfortunately, Tony Almeida has been injured in the process."

"I'm sorry to hear about Tony, Jack, I hope he'll be alright. Unfortunately, he's not my priority, the mission is, but I know how close you two are. But I don't understand, how did they manage to capture you, and what happened to the remainder of your team?"

"We got ambushed at Camp Pendleton, Sir, my entire team has been taken out. I assume they had orders to bring me in alive since I was leading the team and they were hoping to extract information from me. "

"How did they find out where you were though Jack, something doesn't add up!"

"These people are professionals, Sir. Their equipment and training are military, they must have noticed the helicopter coming in at the base and knew our positions at all times."

"I'm not going to ask if they succeeded to find out anything from you, as I already know the answer, but do you have any leads?"

"We haven't been able to recover any crucial information from Ragen yet, but we are transporting their equipment back to CTU, to see what we can get out of the harddrives. There might be information in there which will help us prevent possible further attacks, Sir." _If we're lucky_, Jack adds in his mind.

"That's good news Jack, let's hope they find something we can use to end this. Do you have any further information for me?"

"Yes, Sir. A woman showed up at Ragen's hideout, a convicted traitor, Marie Warner. She managed to escape. It is also possible that one of Ragen's units made it out of the compound before the CTU team arrived. I believe Tony has been able to find out something about Ragen's next target, but unfortunately, he's currently in surgery and we cannot talk to him."

"Marie Warner, yes I've heard of her, she was involved in the nuclear warhead a few years ago, but how did she escape prison? This is important Jack, how long will Tony be in surgery? We need the information in light of what Ragen's men have already achieved in the last two hours, and the fact that Marie Warner is somehow involved does not fill me with confidence that it will stop just because Ragen is dead."

"I don't know the details of her breakout, Sir, but surely Ragen must have been involved in that. I agree with you that this operation is not likely to stop. I think that Marie knows what's going on and that she could act as a replacement for Ragen at this point. Our first priority apart from working on the information off Ragen's harddrives will be to try and track her down as soon as we can."

"Thank you Jack, keep me apprised."

"Yes, Sir." The call ends.

**Division**

After Michelle leaves, Hammond heads to his office. He goes and logs into his system. Next, he dials Steve's number.

"Steve, this is Brad Hmmond. I´m taking over for Michelle until further notice due to some complications in the current operation. I need you to send a list of all the active protocols to my screen and let your people of the situation. I also need the conference room set up for Bauer when he gets here so that he can be debriefed."

"Bauer is coming here?", Steve asks, surprised. "Why isn't he going to the DOD?"

"He is coming here so that we can get his debrief done faster. And also that he can get us working on the intel that he and Almeida got. Right now Bauer is our only clue until Almeida comes out of surgery or those laptops are hacked into.We have no time to waste, we do not know when or where the next attack takes place, so get on it!" he barks at Steve.

"Yes, Sir. I'll get those files to you right away."

"Thank you". Hammond starts to go through the daily inter-agency reports that are on his desk as he waits for the active protocols.

**Rescue Chopper / Division**

The CTU chopper lands at the Division helipad. As the skids touch the ground the medical team approaches the chopper to get Tony out and inside. The medics fill in the medical team as they are taking Tony inside. "Tony Almeida. GSW to the lower left abdomen. Stabilized on the scene, treated for shock, blood loss about 1000 ml, resp. slightly reduced, radial pulse 120, restless when conscious. Ringer IV and morphine started en route."

Michelle had been waiting for the chopper to land. When the medical team start rushing Tony towards the building, she walks with them, keeping up the fast pace. "Michelle Dessler, I'm his wife. How is he?"

"He's lost a fair amount of blood. We need to get him into surgery to stop the bleeding and to find out how much damage the bullet did. Until then I can't really tell you anything more."

Tony, who is drifting in and out of consciousness, hears Michelle's voice and opens his eyes, trying to see where she is or if he's just hearing things.

Michelle notices this and takes his hand into hers, while still walking along. "Sweetheart, it's gonna be OK. They're going to take good care of you." she says in a reassuring voice, glancing at the doctor and then back at Tony. "You'll be alright. I'm right here."

It's tearing her heart apart to see him like this, but she tries to stay rational and calm, even though she's afraid this might be the last words she'll ever speak to him.

Tony makes eye contact with her, whispering her name, trying to talk, but lacking the strength to say anything more, he closes his eyes, losing consciousness again.

Michelle stays behind as the medical team rushes Tony into surgery. She remains standing, trying to push away the worst case scenario from her mind. Praying that Tony survives.

**Outside Ragen's Hideout**

Jack looks around the premises and spots Baker. He walks over to him, ignoring the stinging pain from the wounds in his body. "Hey. Remember Marie Warner? The one we sent to jail for treason a few years ago? Well, she's back. And she escaped."

"What? She was here and got away?", Baker exclaims surprised.

"Yes. She did. I have no idea where she's headed, but wherever it is, we have to find her, _now_. I've already informed the DOD but CTU and Division need to be updated yet. I want you to talk to Driscoll, let her know we're going to need the full support of CTU if we're to find her, I'll talk to Hammond. Right now, Marie Warner is the only lead we have. Until Tony comes out of surgery."

Baker notices Jack's unease as he mentions Tony: "Tony's in good hands, Jack. I'll update CTU and get Chloe to see if there were any satellites in the area as Marie left to see if they could pick up a lead." He glances at the bleeding wound on Jack's arm. "But first we need to get that arm of yours looked at, it looks pretty bad."

Jack shakes his head. "No, we'll take care of my arm when there's time for that. Right now, finding Marie is the first priority. We've already lost too much time, she could be far away by now." Jack turns away to leave, but then closes his eyes and bites his teeth together as yet another wave of pain goes through his arm.

Baker sighs: "Not taking care of that arm isn´t going to lead us to her any faster. Until Chloe checks the satellites we can't do anything. Come on." he tilts his head towards the medic.

Jack turns back. He knows Baker's is right. It can't hurt to stop the bleeding. "Fine.", he says after a short while, and starts walking towards the medic. "But you call Chloe. Now." They arrive to the rescue van and Jack sits down on a chair outside it.

"Alright." Baker leaves Jack with the medic and calls Chloe, giving her the assignment.

**A Subway Station in LA**

Marie Warner stops the car she stole and leaves is in front of a subway station, then steps out of the car and heads for the station entrance. As she walks down the stairs into the subway station she takes out a cell phone from her pocket and hits a speed dial number on it.

"John, this is Marie Warner. We ran into some unforeseen problems. Ragen is dead, so I'm taking over. …Yes it is very unfortunate but the men responsible did not get away without consequences, we saw to that. And they will continue to pay for this. We will prevail."

She smiles slightly remembering the situation where she last saw Tony and Jack in, sure that they must be dead already. They were pinned down before the CTU team arrived.

"The plan is to proceed according to schedule. I want you and your men to ensure that the sarin will be released as planned. Make sure the timers work. This cannot go wrong. I'm moving to our secondary meeting point now to prepare for the next phase."

She closes the phone and enters the subway station.

**Medical area outside Ragen's Hideout**

The medic, Watson, begins to unwrap the bloody garments from the wound, so he can take a look at it. He reaches into his kit bag and pulls out a swab of cotton padding and starts to wipe away the excess blood. Once he cleaned the area, he starts examining the injury more closely. The stab wound in Jack's arm seems to be relatively deep, the cut leading down towards the elbow is not. The remaining cuts on his abdomen and chest will be easy to handle. But that stab wound concerns him.

"Agent Bauer, you really should get to the hospital. That wound is deep, I can only do so much here!", he says.

"No, that's alright, just do what you can. I need to be back in the field." Jack dismisses the suggestion. There is no time to play sick today.

"Very well Sir, but I'm not happy about this, you need to get it looked at properly."

"Please just stop the bleeding. Everything else can wait." Jack looks him in the eye when he says this.

"Alright, I understand. I'll do what I can. I'm going to have to sew the wound with a few stitches if that's ok with you."

"Yes, just please hurry. Thank you."

Baker comes back after the call to CTU. "So Jack, what happened at Camp Pendleton? Chloe told me the comm went dead in the middle of a firefight and that's the last they heard from you. And then the transponder in Tony's watch went dead. They thought both of you were gone."

"You'll also need a tetanus shot. Are you allergic to anything?", Watson interrupts.

"No."

"Good."

Jack turns to Baker. "Ragen's men ambushed my team and took them out before bringing me here to question me. They realized if I was leading a field unit, I wasn't just another DOD guy. I suppose they were afraid of who else was coming after them. Tony broke the transponder in his watch when I was captured and brought in, so that CTU would figure out something was wrong and send help, since he assumed they had taken out your team, too."

"Yeah, they took out everyone but me.", Tom answers. "I got away with a broken rib and a bruise. I think they left me for dead as well. When I came to, I headed away on foot to alert CTU."

"Thank you Tom. We owe you our lives." Jack says sincerely.

Baker barely nods. There's nothing to say, really. His survival was pure luck and he lost all his men. He sees no heroic action in what he did. Sure, he alerted CTU and the backup got to the compound in time but by then, Jack had already taken care of the major players in Ragen's lines.

**Split screen  
**

Jack getting the tetanus shot. Tony on the operating table, the doctors gathering around him. Michelle unable to fight tears any longer. Marie boarding a subway train. Chloe typing away at her computer, establishing a sat link. CONNECTING... the screen informs her.

**Medical area**

"OK, this is going to hurt a little now.", Watson says as he prepares to sew the wound.

Jack gives him a look of '_Hurt? Are you kidding me?_' and the medic instantly realizes what a stupid comment that was, seeing what this man had gone through.

"I'm sorry.", Watson says, somewhat embarrassed, and sticks the needle in Jack's arm.

* * *

...the next update might take a little while longer, i'm pretty tied up in preparations for something important now... 


	13. The Debrief

so, I managed to update anyway, but don't crucify me for spellos, like I said, I don't have much time to proof-read atm. just enjoy ;-). two more weeks and then it'll be better again :-) 

**

* * *

CTU**

Chloe goes up to Erin's office. "Jack is having the equipment from Ragen's compound transferred over.", she says, pushing the door open without knocking first. "I'm going to need a few more people working with me to decrypt the files and find any information available."

Erin, who's been talking to someone over the phone, looks at Chloe, then says into the phone. "Neill, I'll call you back." and hangs up. "What kind of equipment?", she asks Chloe. For once, she is going to forgive her for bursting into her office unannounced like that.

"Laptops, schematics, files, everything that might be connected to the attacks today. We're trying to figure out their next target, Erin, Just give me the OK on this, and let us get back to work again."

"Fine. Put a few people on that. Who is tracking down Marie Warner?"

"I am. I was.", Chloe corrects herself. "I tracked her on satellite to a subway station. I lost her there."

"So.. Now what? You're just letting her get away?"

"We're in the surveillance system of the station, we haven't found her yet." Chloe sighs audibly. "We're on it."

"Alright. Get back to work, keep me updated."

"Sure." Chloe turns away quickly and leaves Erin's office, rolling her eyes before she leaves.

**Division Surgery**

Tony is laying on the operating table, asleep. The doctor is doing a preliminary check up as he waits for x-rays to arrive. "The entrance wound is here, there is no exit wound, which means the bullet is still lodged in there. We'll have to be careful when removing it in case it is blocking further blood flow, clear?"

A nurse walks in with the x-rays and hands them to him. He looks at them, pointing at the region as he speaks. "Alright, his thoracal area is pretty bruised but we'll take care of his ribs later, the GSW is the priority." He finds the image of the bullet and points to it. "The bullet is here, it apears like it missed all major organs, he got lucky. We should be able to remove it without further complications. OK, let's go."

**Division Clinic**

As soon as his helicopter lands outside Division, Jack opens the door and rushes out and inside the building. After ID-ing himself to the security guard, he walks directly towards the clinic, ignoring the guard's comment that Brad Hammond is waiting for him in the Conference Room for the debrief.

Jack enters the waiting room and sees Michelle sitting in one of the chairs with her head in her hands, thinking. As she hears the door opening and lifts her head to see Jack enter the room, she gets up and goes to him, relieved to see him. "Jack." she says quietly.

"Hey...", Jack meets her halfway from the door and pulls her into a hug, sensing her restlesness and fear. "How are you holding up?", he whispers.

"I...I don't know. They couldn't tell me much when they took Tony to surgery, except that it was serious. I'm afraid for him." she says, desperation in her voice.

"Shhh, don't do this, Michelle, he's going to be alright. They took him into surgery quickly, he's a fighter, he'll make it.", Jack says, as if to reassure himself, too. "He'll be okay."

Jack had always been the one who she had confided in as Tony was gone and this time was no different. As the tears trail down her cheek she looks Jack in the eye. "He has to... things have been so tense between us these few weeks and I haven't told him how much I love him. Now if Tony dies... I'm not sure he knows. I should have tried to help him more, Jack.Tried to talk to him -" she shakes her head.

"Hey...", Jack puts his hands on her shoulders, and looking at her, he affirms. "He knows. It just seems to be very hard on him right now but he isn't ready to deal with the issues yet. Come here..." Jack hugs her again tightly, and whispers: "You'll get a chance to tell him. He'll pull through."

Michelle stays in the embrace for a while, as if to draw strength from Jack's presence. She then pulls back and sniffles. "Jack, Hammond took over for me, he said he wanted to see you as soon as you got here and to get the debriefing done. But before you go, I need you to tell me what happened out there. Please."

"Alright, let's have a seat.", Jack walks with her to the chairs and they sit down. Jack puts his head between his hands and rubs his eyes, recalling the events but unsure how to tell her, then he raises his head again and looks Michelle in the eye. Taking a deep breath, he begins.

"Tony's cover was intact when Ragen's men brought me in. They didn't trust him implicitly, but I think he must have been able to move around the compound quite freely. While Ragen was interrogating me, he's kept Tony out of the room, until Tony decided to interrupt. Ragen didn't come back immediately, which allowed me to talk to Tony, he was doing alright. I assume it was around this time that they freed Marie Warner. When she got to the compound, she blew Tony's cover instantly, and things got out of hand, I wasn't able to do anything to help, other than try to convince Ragen that Tony had genuinely switched sides." Jack pauses and sighs. He doesn't want to tell Michelle what went down there, but he knows she'd want to know, especially in this situation.

"What happened then?", Michelle asks, trying to stay as composed as possible. If Tony survives, it is likely he won't want to talk about this, like he had been avoiding talking about everything else lately. And if he doesn't... "Jack, tell me.", she urges him, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

Jack waits a few moments. "Ragen ordered Tony to shoot me, in order to prove it." He looks at Michelle, her face is pale, her eyes wide open. Jack pauses long before answering. "He couldn't do it." Jack still keeps his eyes on her. Surely she knows what is coming next won't be easy to hear. He doesn't want to put her through this. How much does she really need to know? Every further word he says now will hurt her and Jack knows it.

Michelle swallows hard before silently asking "What did they do to him?"

"Michelle...", Jack shakes his head.

"Jack, I want to know.", she interrupts him, lifting her head and uttering the words fast, but with determination, as if to prevent herself from changing her mind.

Jack sighs. "They beat him up pretty badly. He didn't break. I took the first opportunity I had to take Ragen and his men out of play and was going to help Tony get out and apprehend Marie, when we got caught in a shootout, during which Marie escaped and Tony was wounded. Luckily, Baker and his team arrived at the time and we were able to assign a medical team to take care of Tony very quickly and they got him into the helicopter within minutes. And you know the rest.", he concludes.

Michelle nods only slightly, almost absently. Before her mind,'s eye, she can see the blood, the violence, her husband beaten and bruised, and when they were practically out, almost killed. She knows these pictures will stay with her for a long time to come. Nevertheless, she looks at Jack and thanks him. "For being open with me.", she adds.

Jack hangs his head in thought, not sure if telling her all this was the right thing to do.

**CTU**

Baker's team arrives at CTU and Chloe rushes over to them. "I want everything set up in Comm room 3 and over here", she says as she points to an unpopulated area of the main floor. If there's anything on those computers, we need to find it now."

The team members nod and go about their job.

**Division clinic **

"Are you staying here?", Jack asks Michelle, as he's at the door of the waiting room.

"Yes."

Jack nods understandingly, then leaves the clinic and goes to meet Hammond in the conference room for the debrief. He doesn't look at the people working at the main floor as he takes big steps towards the room. He trusts that the doctors will do their best to try and save Tony's life and he knows they are good, but the feeling of uneasiness is still there, the feeling that he was the one who got Tony into this. If Tony died, Jack would never forgive himself.

He stops in front of the door to Confrerence room 3 and takes a brief moment to take a deep breath before opening the door. Finally, he walks in and sees Hammond already seated at the table, waiting.

Hammond stands long enough to shake Jack's hand. "Hello Jack. I see you got the op finished at the compound. Take a seat so we can start the debrief."

"Yeah." Jack acknowledges Hammond's presence and gives a brief glance towards the assistant who is also seated at the table, ready to take notes.

The assistant starts the tape and Hammond begins the debrief. "This is Division Director Brad Hammond, debrief of Jack Bauer, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. It's 9.20 p.m. Leo Uicker is also present. So Jack, what happened as you arrived at Camp Pendleton?"

"My team and I landed at Camp Pendleton at approximately 5.50 pm. We began to move towards the presumed primary targets. My first team approached the ammunition dump and discovered a bomb which I attempted to disarm."

"As you were attempting to disarm the bomb, what happened?"

"I heard movement behind us and ordered both teams to fall back. I managed to disarm the device and we began to retreat. That's when we were ambushed. My entire team was taken out and I was captured by the leader of Ragen's team."

"Did you know at the time that Baker's team had also been attacked?"

"No. I was not aware of that."

**Division clinic**

After Jack is gone, Michelle remains seated in the chair for a few moments, her head resting between her hands, her elbows on her knees, digesting what she just learned from Jack. Suddenly, she raises her head. She can't do this. She can't sit here and wait for the doctor to come out, can't NOT be there with Tony. Not again. Hammond is there to take care of things and she stepped down anyway, this time she can be there for Tony and she is going to be. She gets up and walks out of the waiting room and with determination, heads towards the operating area.

One of the medics from the field team who is just heading back to the locker rooms after returning from the field, comes out of the area and just about runs into Michelle.

"Mrs. Dessler, where are you going? That area is off limits to anyone but medical personnel, you know that." he tells her.

Michelle looks at him calmly, stopping herself from opening the door to the area. "Yes, I do know that, but my husband is in there and I can't sit around doing nothing, I _need_ to be with him, surely you understand that."

"Yes Ma'am, I understand that, but you just can't go in there.It's just not possible." he says symphathetically.

Michelle sighs. She does know this is breaking protocol, but given the circumstances... "Something similar has happened before and I couldn't be there for him then, I want to be there for him now. Look, uh.. Sam...", she reads his name off his name tag. "Please just let me in. I realize it's a closed area, but it will do nobody any harm if I'm outside the operating room, I just need to see him. Please do this for me.", she almost whispers.

He looks at Michelle for a moment, seeing the worry in her features. "Alright. Wait here a moment and I'll ask someone if it's ok."

"Thank you.", Michelle agrees and steps away from the door, allowing him to pass.

Sam goes back inside and asks one of the doctors there, explaining to him the situation as he knows it.

**Division debrief**

Hammond nods. "And then they took you to Ragen's compound, correct? Do you have any idea how big the team that ambushed yours was?"

"No, I never got to see the whole team. They knocked me unconscious before taking me to Ragen's hideout, but from what happened and how quickly it went down, I estimate it must have been about 10 to 15 well trained men. Professionals with military background and training... Brad, can we speed this up, please?", Jack sighs inwardly. "Ragen's men are still out there and they need to be stopped."

"Alright, where was Almeida during the time you were there? Did he tell you anything about what he'd discovered?"

"Tony tipped us off on Camp Pendleton. Ragen didn't trust him enough to let him look everywhere freely, Tony had to dig his way through to get information and he gave what he had to us, at great personal risk." Jack pauses briefly. "Brad, you know undercover operations take time to prepare and it also takes time to earn the trust of whoever you're infiltrating. Tony was with Ragen at the time and I don't think he was aware of the order to take our teams out."

Hammond looks at Jack, a bit doubtful but resumes. "Ragen succeeded in freeing Marie Warner who is a convicted traitor and who is still at large. How did you find out that she was involved and furthermore how do you think she is connected to this?"

"I don't know, Brad. That's exactly what we need to find out. When Marie Warner turned up at the compound, I got the impression that she and Ragen knew each other well, that his reasons for freeing her were personal. Maybe they were romantically involved at some point. Either way, it seemed like he trusted her and vice versa. Ragen is dead, but I am convinced that she knows the rest of the plan and has the ability and the contacts to take this to completion."

Hammond nods and pauses briefly before continuing. It is very likely that Jack is right. "How did she and Ragen react towards Tony when you were present?"

Jack stares at Hammond, the tone of Hammond's voice raises a suspicion in him. "What are you implying, Brad?"

Hammond turns to the analyst and tells him to stop the recording. "Are you sure Tony wasn't the one who gave your location to Ragen's men, Jack? I find it hard to believe in coincides, especially with two traitors involved. All this and then above it all Marie Warner just happens to escape. Are you sure this all wasn't planned by Ragen and Tony to lure you in?"

Jack glares at Hammond for a few brief moments. Then he stands up from the chair and slightly turns his head to the analyst. "Get out."

"But I need to.."

"The debrief is over. Get out!", Jack says again, louder this time. "OUT! NOW!", he repeats when the assistant gives Hammond a questioning glance. Now, the man leaves the room and Jack walks over to Hammond.

Jack stares at Hammond, a fiery look in his eyes. "Brad, you son of a bitch. Tony Almeida is one of the most capable and most loyal agents this country has ever seen. He did what he did to protect his wife and I would have made the same call and you know it. You charge him with treason and send him to prison for saving his wife's life! And now you're saying that he sold out, teamed up with terrorists. That the whole story was planned from the beginning!" Jack shakes his head in disbelief. "Tony did _everything_ in his power to help us find Ragen's next target without exposing himself and he ended up shot and in surgery because he couldn't pull the trigger on me." Jack leans toward Hammond, pointing his finger at him . "Don't you dare try to implicate him in what happened today or you will regret it."

Hammond just looks at Jack. "Erin was right as she had you dismissed. You've become a liability, Jack. You and Tony haven't had any problems of breaking protocol or making it seem you've gone over to the other side before. Prison changes a man, they become bitter and disillusioned. You just refuse to see that your friend, a _traitor_, might have actually turned on you. There will be an inquiry into these events and if there is any indication Tony was involved, he will be brought up on charges and this time he won't be getting away with 20 years …."

At this, Jack grabs Hammond by the collar of his shirt and punches him hard across the face, sending him straight into the wall. He hauls off to hit him again, but stops himself, looking at Hammond in disgust. "You'd do anything to destroy other people's lives, wouldn't you?"

A few moments later, Jack turns away from Hammond and starts heading for the door, then stops and looks at him again. "Stay away from Tony, Brad. You've caused enough damage already." Then he walks off.

Hammond strokes his chin where the punch hit him, and as Jack is at the door, he says dryly. "I'd think a man with your experience would see through the lies. I suppose I'm wrong."

Jack doesn't bother to turn around again. Shaking his head, he leaves the room.

**Division clinic**

After a while, Sam comes back out. "I'm sorry, Ms Dessler, he said they can't let you in. It's against protocol."

Michelle sighs. This is not quite like her, but it's the only choice she has, she won't let them keep her away from Tony any longer. She pulls her ID to make a point. "I am second in command at Division, I outrank everyone in this building apart from Brad Hammond. I am not asking you, I'm ordering you to let me in. Now if anyone has a problem with it, you can tell them that.", she says in a steady voice, looking Sam in the eye. "Now let's go."

He sighs, knowing it's futile to resist her now. At least now if anyone questioned his actions, he could say he'd just been following orders. "As you wish. But you'll have to explain it to them." He turns around and Michelle follows him to a locker room, where he hands her a face mask and scrubs, which she puts on, before the both of them head to the restricted area and he lets her pass before him. Thankful, she walks towards the operating room and stops outside the OR, watching the surgeons work through the glass door.

The doctors have located the bullet and are ready to remove it. "Alright, it's lodged right near the renal artery. We have to be careful when removing this, so that we won´t do any more damage." he says to his team members. _A few centimeters to the other direction and he might have been paralyzed_., the surgeon thinks to himself.

With tweezers, he cautiosly pulls the bullet out, but as he does so, a large blood flow comes from the vein. "Dammit. The bullet must have hit the artery itself. Get me some suction and a clamp."

The instruments begin to beep and flash alarmingly. "His BP is crashing Doug, you better work fast or he's going to arrest." the anesthesiologist tells him.

"I have no intention of losing him. Push in the Ringer, it will hold us for a while."

As she hears the alarming noise from the OR, Michelle begins to feel like her heart is stopping. Unable to move away from the door, unable to move at all, she holds her breath and stares like petrified at the flashing lights and numbers on the instruments in the OR, as if unable to grasp their meaning. She sees a heart symbol with red numbers next to it. 118 - 116 - 114 -112. The surgeon's gloves full of blood. She hears them talking fast, their hands moving swiftly. In her mind, the words "No" and "Tony" echo over and over again, but she is incapable of saying them out loud.

"His resp. is dropping.", the anesthesiologist warns the doctor. "Hurry up."

"Just hold on. I almost got it………there. It's clamped. Now let's check if that bullet damaged the other major veins."

When the pulse meter stagnates and the pulse rate slowly begins to climb and normalize, the doctors' hectic movements and worried expressions are replaced by more relaxed ones, Michelle feels like she is waking up from a trance. Letting out the breath she'd been holding and then breathing in again, almost gasping for air, forces her back to the reality of the situation, but this time, with greater hope. _Tony will be alright. He will_. She repeats this loudly to reassure herself.


	14. The Suspects

**A vehicle on the highway**

A cell phone rings in the van. One of the men digs into his pocket and takes out the phone, answering it.

"John, it's Marie. I'm just about at the house. Is everything going according to plan?

John moved his gaze from the map his was reading, to the metal bottom of the van. He gave a small nod. "Yes, everything is going well, very well in fact. It does seem we have a very good chance of pulling this off you know, I mean, the U.S government isn't even onto us now. But I'm getting side tracked here. We just loaded everything into the van and left for the site a little while ago."

"Good. Do you have the ideal placement points plotted from the building blueprints?"  
John shifted his gaze surveying the blue prints of the building, a moment longer. "Yes, the perfect places. Maximum casualties will be ensured this way."

"We can't let anything go wrong. There are still things to be done. Get this accomplished and leave. Make sure you get out with as little attention as possible."

"That won't be a problem. And things won't go wrong, trust me, they won't, they can't."  
Marie hangs up the phone.

**DOD office, LA**

Heller's phone rings. It's his secretary.

"Mr.Secretary, I have a Brad Hammond from Division on the line for you."

"Thank you Suzanne, put him through!", _Hammond, what does he want? _Heller thinks to himself.

"Mr.Secretary, it's Brad Hammond. Have you been briefed on the latest events, sir?"

"Brad. Yes I have. Jack Bauer briefed me on the Camp Pendleton situation a little over an hour ago. Why, do you have an update for me?"

"Sir, I have reason to believe that the information concerning Bauer's team at Camp Pendleton was leaked to the terrorists before the team was attacked. They also knew of our team near the compound."

"Jack gave me that impression as well, they did seem to have very good intel on our situation. What indications do you have?"

"The time of the attack on Bauer's team seems too perfect to be a coincidence. And our surveillance indicates increased chatter from the compound to the team just before the attack. I'm starting an investigation concerning the person I believe to be responsible and I wanted to inform you beforehand."

"An investigation? Who are you planning to investigate, Brad?", a worried Heller asks, as he gets up from his chair and begins to walk around his office.

Brad clears his throat before answering. "Sir, I believe Tony Almeida was responsible for this. He relayed the information to Jack and he is a convicted traitor. It is plausible that he orchestrated this with Ragen. I also told Jack this and that is primarily the reason I am calling you now."

_Almeida, Maybe I was wrong to play along with this_, Heller thinks to himself. "Brad, you believe Tony may have been working with Ragen? That's an interesting theory... But then how would you explain the information fed to CTU by Tony? And also, he did not come out of this unscathed, don't disregard that!"

"No sir, I am not disregarding that, these things just seem too well planned to be coincidences. Not to mention we had two convicted traitors involved in this, and on top of that, one of them escaped."

Heller sighs inwardly, he knows Brad might have a point here. After all, it was Jack's call to bring Tony into this. Maybe Jack let himself believe that his friend was the same person he knew before. "How did Jack take your theory?", Heller asks, but almost regrets it instantly. _Maybe I shouldn't ask._

"Not well." Brad pauses briefly before continuing, as if to assure himself he is doing the right thing. "Mr. Secretary, I'd like to ask you to reassign him and have someone else take his position as working provincially for CTU."

"Reassign Jack? You have got to be joking me. I can't afford to do that, he's the best man we've got for field ops. You seem to forget that we have a convicted terrorist on the loose and if anyone knows how to find Marie Warner, Jack does, he's had dealings with her before. No Brad, I'm sorry, Jack isn't going anywhere."

"Secretary Heller, Jack Bauer is a loose cannon. He is not even _in_ Field Ops any more, he has been out of the field for a while now, as you know. And he is taking this investigation a little too personally. He just assaulted me after the debrief. I do not believe he is fit to remain in his position. If he fails to control himself again, he could jeopardize all of our efforts."

_Jack assaulted Hammond? No prizes for why..._, Heller thinks to himself. But finally, he relents. "That I'll take up with Jack, Brad, but for now, he stays where he is. There simply is no-one to replace him."

"Alright. Thank you, sir.", Hammond sighs inwardly. Having friends in high places had always helped Jack out, nothing new this time.

"Thank you Brad." Heller hangs up the phone, walking over to a window and looking out, deep in thought.

**Division Clinic**

Jack goes back to the waiting room where he'd left Michelle before the debrief. Not finding her there, he walks back out and calls to one of the nurses there. "There was a woman in here a half an hour ago. Where did she go?"

Betty, a dark-skinned, thickish nurse shakes her head. "No idea."

"Help me find her.", Jack says in a demanding voice.

"And who are you?", she gives him a questioning look, her hands on her hips.

"My name is Jack Bauer, I work for the Department of Defense. I am working on an important case and I need to see her now."

Betty thinks this over for a few seconds, then asks. "Alright, who is _she_?"

"Michelle Dessler, Division Deputy Director, I need to talk to her. Her husband is in surgery here, he had been shot. I need you to check the operating area first, she might be in there."

She shakes her head. "No-one is allowed in there, it's against protocol."

"I know that." Jack says, while looking her in the eye, waiting. After a couple of seconds, Betty relents.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you. And keep this between us.", Jack says and follows her, stopping in front of the door to the area, while she goes inside to look for someone who doesn't belong in there.

**CTU**

"Chloe, have you found anything yet?", Erin startles Chloe as she asks this out of nowhere.

"Gosh, don't sneak up on me like that!", Chloe exclaims as she looks up from the keyboard.

"Well?", Erin says neutrally, while trying to hide her need to chuckle at Chloe's reaction.

Chloe takes a deep breath before replying and putting her annoyed face on. "We're getting there. Some of these files are encrypted, but I'm about to break the outer shell. We should be getting some results soon."

"Soon? So basically, so far you have nothing?"

"We _have_ managed to crack the passwords and get into these files in the first place, Erin, I suppose that's _something_, now, isn't it!", Chloe protests. "If Hammond hadn't had everyone transferred to Federal immediately we might have had some help.", she adds, frustrated.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Erin turns away. "Let me know as soon as you're done."

"Sure.", Chloe mumbles, more to herself than to Erin. She always knew this job was a hassle and these long hours at the office and the constant lack of time on her hands weren't making it easier to take. But she was the best they had, so she knew they couldn't afford to lose her. And she needed the job, so that feeling was mutual.

"Chloe, I got something.", Rob calls out to her.

Immediately, she pushes her chair over to Rob's screen. "What is it?", she asks, leaning toward him.

**Division clinic**

Behind her, Michelle hears someone asking about her. Carefully, she moves away from the door, taking one last quick glance at Tony through the glass door. "Hold on, honey.", she whispers to him.

She knows she needs to get out of there now. Making sure her face mask is covering as much of her face as possible, she turns around and walks away from the nurse and to a corridor. Finding a door marked EXIT, she tries the handle and finds the door unlocked. Opening it, she leaves the area, taking off the scrubs and the face mask and throws them into a bin.

Betty comes back to Jack. "I'm sorry Mr. Bauer, no-one seems to have seen her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Puzzled, Jack glares at her for a few moments, then utters: "OK, thank you." Not knowing what to do, Jack turns away and tries Michelle's cell phone but finds it off.

At that moment, Michelle walks in through another door. Seeing Jack, she goes over to him. "Hey, Jack. How did the debrief go?"

"Okay.", he says, slipping his phone back into his pocket."How's Tony?"

"He's still in surgery. I think he's going to be alright." she says reassuring herself and Jack.

"Good.", Jack smiles. Then he gently takes her by her arm and starts walking. "Michelle, I need to talk to you.", he says, looking her in the eye.

"What about?"

They walk back to the empty waiting room where Jack answers her question. "That guy I told you I met at the Griffith Observatory. Did you find out anything?"

Michelle sighs. Yes, she had done some research for Jack on that, but it seemed like an eternity had passed since. "Yes, I did. Minor things only, though", she admits. "Your hunch about Sherry Palmer paid off. Mrs. Palmer had a lover after she and David Palmer divorced. Apparently, now he is blaming David Palmer for her death and is seeking revenge through you. He knows that you and the former President have a history and that you would be able to get closer to Palmer than anyone else. He knows he can't do this himself, not up close and personal, Palmer is still too well protected. Chances are that was the man you met at the Griffith Park and if not, then he's the one behind the meeting and he's still out there. You should be careful and warn Palmer."

Jack nods. "I already have. What about the DOD mole? "

"That was a little more obscure. I've put together a list of the most likely candidates but I can't tell for sure. The file is in my office. Want me to get it for you?"

"No, it's alright. I'll get it. You stay here with Tony. ", he says because it's not hard to guess where she'd rather be.

"Thanks, Jack.", she replies.

Jack puts his hands on her shoulders, looking at her. "Hey. Keep your chin up, ok?", he says, smiling. Michelle smiles back at him and nods softly.

"I have to go. Call me when Tony is out of surgery."

"I will."

"Thank you, Michelle."

"Sure."

As Jack leaves, Michelle leans against a wall, leaning her head back as well, closing her eyes for just a second or two, taking a moment to breathe.

Jack goes back to the main floor and disappears in Michelle's office.

**Division, Michelle's office**

As Jack leaves the clinic after his conversation with Michelle, he heads straight to her office and walks in. He goes to her desk and stops, looking for the file she mentioned. He finds it quickly and opens it to scan through it. If the man who was after him and David Palmer was Sherry's lover and he was still out there, the situation could be more serious than he thought. That man could have contacts high up, maybe even be connected to the current threat or the DOD. Jack looks for a picture in the file and when he finds it, he realizes that it's not the person he had met at the Observatory. This was good. If they manage to find the guy in time...

Hammond is just returning to Michelle's office. He stops at the door, amazed and irritated to see Jack. "Jack, what are you doing here?" he says with an edge in his voice, their previous altercation not forgotten.

Jack looks at Hammond. _Right, he'd taken over for Michelle._ "I was just about to leave.", Jack tells him, discreetly closing the file in his hand.

"Hold on. What is in that file? You have no authority to remove divisional files."

"That's none of your business, Brad."

"As long as I'm in charge, it is. You're DOD, you don't have the clearance for those files. You can request them through proper channels but you are not just taking them."

Jack just looks at him. "I asked Michelle to look into something for the DOD while I was away and she did. This is the DOD's concern, not yours."

"You what! You had no business diverting our resources from an ongoing investigation. You'll hear about this."

"Fine. Whatever, I've gotta go.", Jack squeezes the file in his right hand and starts walking past Hammond to the door.

Hammond blocks his path. "What exactly _is _in that file, Jack? DOD concern, maybe, but you're not leaving with that file without telling me what is in it. It might be essential to our investigation."

"Why does it matter to you? Michelle gave me clearance for the file, Brad, so BACK OFF!", Jack pushes Hammond out of his way.

"Michelle has stepped down, Jack! I am in charge.", Hammond reminds him.

Jack glares at him angrily. "She was the ranking agent when she gave it to me, Brad. I am not going to waste any more time here." Jack turns around and leaves the office, pushing Brad to the side as he passes him by.

**Division clinic**

Michelle is pacing around in the waiting room of the clinic. _The surgery should have been over by now. Have there been any more complications?_ She's frightened, nervous, worried sick about the only man she's ever really loved. _Tony, you have to make it please. Please_., she says to herself over and over again. _Please._

A man wearing scrubs steps out through the screen doors and into the waiting room. He goes and introduces himself to Michelle. "Ms. Dessler, I'm Douglas Burke. I performed the surgery on your husband." 

Michelle shakes his hand, but puts out a question even before she lets go again. "Did Tony make it?"

The doctor nods. "Yes he did. The bullet damaged one of his arteries, which accounts for the blood loss, but we were able to get that under control. Luckily, as far as we can tell, the bullet missed his vital organs, but in addition he also has a few bruised and broken ribs. We cleared the wound of debris but I am still concerned about infection setting in. We are giving him some antibiotics through his IV, in addition to some painkillers."

_Thank God_, Michelle sighs, relieved. "So he's going to be alright?", she asks. All of this was harmless compared to what could have happened.

"Yes, he should be alright. We should be able to move him to one of the medical centers nearby tomorrow and he needs to stay there for a few days before he's released for home recovery. As I said the infection is the greatest risk at this point. The body will balance the blood loss in a couple of days. He's out of recovery now and should be coming around shortly, but he can be somewhat disoriented for a while from the morphine and anesthetics."

"Can I see him?"

"You can go and see him, yes.", he nods.

"Thank you, Doctor.", Michelle says sincerely. She had learned to appreciate the work and the efforts of the medical personnel over the years and now they've saved Tony's life twice. No words could explain how grateful she was to them for everything. "Thank you so much.", she repeats.

Dr. Burke just smiles at her. Even though he hadn't met either of these people before, he has heard about what has happened to them. Word travels fast in a small community. He just hopes thing will turn out to go along smoothly for the both of them. "You're welcome." he says, before shaking Michelle's hand again and leaving.

Michelle, alone again, allows her feelings to show. Tears of joy and relief fill her eyes, as she sees the worst case scenario melt away before her and she realizes that Tony and she had been given one more chance to work things out. After a while she wipes off the tears and sniffles, breathing in deeply, to calm herself down.

More composed than she was before, she walks out of the room to go and see Tony and be with him when he wakes up.

**Outside Division**

Jack enters his SUV and leans back in the seat, throwing the file to the passenger's seat. He motions to start the car, but reconsiders. Instead, he pulls out his cell phone and hits a speed dial button.

**David Palmer's Residence**

David Palmer picks up.

"Mr. Palmer, it's Jack Bauer."

"Hello Jack." Palmer greets him, relieved. "Have you made any progress on the current investigation?"

"Yes, Sir, we have. I believe we have identified the person who is behind the threat on your life. And also, I think he is the man who the informant I met earlier today was working for."

"Was?", Palmer echoes, but already guesses the answer.

"Yes. I couldn't let him leave the Observatory alive... I have sworn an oath to protect this country and its President, sir. To me, that oath does not lose its validity after the President leaves office."

"I know that Jack. You're a good man.", Palmer says.

"Thank you sir."

"So, who did your people identify as the prime suspect?"

"A man called Dan Morgan." Jack stops here, waiting for Palmer's reaction.

"Morgan? Doesn't ring a bell at all."

"Your late wife, Sherry, had an affair with him."

"When?", Palmer asks, surprised and alarmed. Things involving Sherry...

"A few years ago. It seems like when you divorced her, she was seeking revenge and thought of a plan to get back at you. She introduced herself to this man because she knew that he had contacts to the big criminals who could do you and this country harm. By the looks of it, it seems like he introduced her to Peter Kingsley, the man who was responsible for smuggling the nuclear weapon onto US soil. When Kingsley started planning his operation, he contacted Sherry and she willingly went along with the plan and brought Roger Stanton in on it, as well."

"My god, Jack.", Palmer sinks onto a couch, visibly shocked. "And now that Sherry is dead, Morgan wants revenge? On me?"

"Yes Sir. Both you and I are on his list now."

Palmer says nothing, his face expressionless, just digesting the information he had just been given.

"Sir, I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to try to stay safe. These men have a contingency plan, I am certain of it.", Jack tells him.

"I'm sure they do." Palmer sighs, unsurprised. "So, how do you plan to get to Morgan?"

"I don't know yet. I'm working on it. Something's telling me we won't have to look for them. They'll find _us_."

"Most likely... Alright Jack."

"Thank you Sir."

"Thank _you_, Jack."


	15. Fear, Revenge and Plan B

author's note: this was written loooooong before season 5 ever started. you'll see why I'm saying this once you've read the chapter. we did not steal their ideas. and yet, we don't own 24 or its characters - though sometimes I think if we did, some things would be different. **  
**

**

* * *

**

**Division clinic, waiting room**

Michelle waits outside Tony's rom for a few seconds, breathing in slowly and deeply. _He's alright, he's going to be okay_, she thinks over and over again. She then smiles to herself and slowly opens the door and walks in. She sees him on the bed, sleeping calmly, an IV in his arm, an oxygen mask on his face. He's looking so weak, so brittle, so vulnerable. She looks at him lovingly, while she stands there near the doorframe, suddenly feeling cold chills running down her back. Some odd kind of fear seems to be holding her back still. Fear that when she joins him by the bed, it will all be a lie and he won't be breathing.

Michelle shakes her head. _No, the doctor said he'll be alright! And he will be,_ she tells herself again.

She gives herself a mental push, and walks over to the bed. Then she slowly sits down, taking Tony's hand in hers, caressing it.

Tony, who is slowly coming to, feels the bed move, and realizes there must be someone sitting next to him. He opens his eyes slightly to see who it is. Even through the drug induced haze he recognizes it is no other than Michelle.

"Michelle", he calls to her weakly, his throat still raspy from the ventilator.

"Hey honey...", Michelle smiles when she hears his voice, now _knowing_ that everything will turn out okay. She caresses his cheek, relieved. "Sweetheart...", she begins to say something but her voice breaks as a tear rolls off her face.

She wipes it off, attempting to smile, ashamed to cry in front of him when there really is no reason to. She knows she should be positive, though it is hurting her to see him like this again. "You scared me... I thought I'd lost you for good this time."

"I'm still here." he whispers and holds her hand and smiles slightly.

Michelle remains silent, just smiling, thankful for the chance they're being given. She bows down and kisses him on the forehead, her lips tasting the cold, salty sweat on his brow. She remains like this for a few seconds before pulling herself back up.

Having only scattered images in his mind after getting shot, Tony thinks that something else must have happened. Alarmed, he tries to get up slightly, only to sink back with a quiet groan as a wave of pain hits him. "Where's Jack? Is he alright?", he utters.

"Hey, hey, easy, honey, you just got out of surgery...", Michelle helps him lay back down on the pillow, then answers his question. "Yes, he's alright, he's on his way to CTU now, there's still a lot or work that needs to be done to stop these people.", she smiles and kisses his hand. "But you and I are staying here, I'm not leaving you. I'm right here.", she adds.

Relieved that his friend is alright, Tony lets out a long breath. Again, feeling like he has to get back out there he tries to fight off the feeling of fatigue caused by the remaining anaesthesia. But more and more he feels his eyelids getting heavier and unable to combat it.

"Sweetheart, Jack told me what happened... ", Michelle whispers. "I'm so sorry we weren't able to protect you. Jack had been captured, Baker's team wiped out, Erin wouldn't send additional back up in until they had more information, it was only luck that Baker got out and told CTU what was going on..." She pauses, feeling her throat tighten. "There must have been more we could have done... I feel like... If you hadn't made it through, I... I don't know what... I'm...", she breaks out in tears. "I'm so sorry... so sorry you had to go through all this. I..."

"Hey, look at me.", Tony wants to cup her face, but feels too week to move his arms. Instead he finds her eyes and holds her look. "Sweetheart, there was _nothing_ you could have done. You know how it is. Things can go wrong for so many reasons. _I said_ I'd do this, no one _made_ me..." He breathes in and out before finishing. "I'm still here. It will be OK."

"I know... I just wish there had been another way.", she whispers almost inaudibly.

"It's over now. If you think about it too much, you'll stress yourself out." Tony says and coughs, closing his eyes in pain when a burning feeling in his abdomen reminds him of his injuries. But he continues, smiling. "Please, don't do that. I hate seeing you agonizing over something that wasn't your fault." he says in a low voice and gently wipes away a tear from her cheek with his free hand.

Michelle sniffles. Here they are, just a short while ago, he was walking the line between life and death, and now he's comforting _her_. _Shame on you, Michelle Dessler. Aren't you supposed to be there for him instead!_, she reprimands herself. She smiles to him, her fingers playing with his dark hair. "I'm so happy you're alive. So happy.", she whispers and kisses him on the cheek, then lays down on her side, next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder slightly, taking care not to apply pressure on his chest. "We're going to get through this together, I'm here for you. I love you Tony."

"I love you too." Tony whispers weakly, wanting to hug her, kiss her, but the IV and the oxygen mask prevent him from doing more than look at her, his eyes filled with love, and smile.

As they lie there quietly, and Michelle finally feels relief and happiness replace fear and pain inside her, Tony slowly falls into a deep, drug-induced sleep.

**DOD****  
**

Secretary Heller is walking back from the washroom. Michael Barton, one of his assistants - the kind Heller would rather have removed from his payroll - comes out of a side room, walking by the side of him.

"So Mr. Secretary, I hear your Jack Bauer has been up to his old tricks again heh!", Barton says in a Scottish accent.

"You hear a lot, don't you Michael?" Heller replies, looking around the gangway for Audrey or anyone else to save him from the annoying likes of Barton.

"You know me Mr. Secretary, I like to know as much as possible about everything that goes on. You never know when it might come in useful." he smirks and removes his glasses for a moment, to clean them.

"I guess you don't, just be careful it doesn't bite you on the ass!" Heller walks off to his office, leaving Michael behind and shutting the door behind him, and lets out a relieved sigh.

Heller makes the decision to phone Jack, the timing is bad, but it's got to be done, at least then Jack can go about his business and not be bugged by idiots like Michael Barton, who have nothing better to do than cause trouble, or so it would seem.

Heller sits down, picks up the phone and dials Jack's number.

Jack is on his way back to CTU, driving in his car when his cell phone rings. He pulls over to the side of the road to answer it.

"Bauer."

"Jack. This is Heller. Where are you?"

"I'm on my way back to CTU, Sir. I have a lead that I need to follow."

"Alright." Heller stands up from the chair and walks to a window. It's a clear night, and the flickering street lights seem to sketch complicated paths through the city, cars moving up and down the brightly lit avenues. It was too late at night for a congestion, so the traffic, what was left of it, was moving fluently. "Jack, I hate to do this over the phone, but I need you to tell me what went on between you and Brad Hammond. As you might imagine, Brad has spoken to me, and I need your side on this. And make it good, for both our sakes, I don't want to have to do anything drastic.", Heller tells Jack, with a tone that makes any denying impossible.

Jack sighs inwardly. He knew this was coming, sooner or later, although he was hoping it'd be later. And he knows there actually is nothing he can say in his defense. He lost his temper. Period. He glances out the car window, then his eyes land on the steering wheel ahead of him. "Sir, I know there is no excuse for my behavior earlier today and whatever measures you decide to take, I will accept.", he finally says.

Having known Jack for a while now, this answer wasn't a big surprise for Heller, although he was wishing Jack would actually say something in his defense. He walks back to his desk, sits down, his elbows on the desk and leans over the phone. "You realize that this was assault on a senior officer Jack - no matter how I want to, I can't just turn my back on this. I will have to report it and it will go on your record, I can't stop that from happening, Hammond won't let it go.", Heller says apologetically.

"I understand that, Sir.", Jack accepts calmly. And now Erin's words sound in his head. "..._all the off-book behavior that's been documented over the past five years_..." and he is suddenly made aware of the luck he's had, that he never really had to deal with serious consequences of his actions while working for CTU. _Time to face the music Jack and see how things work out at the DOD, then_, he thinks to himself, while a small sarcastic grin shows on his face.

"Look, Jack, tell me exactly what happened. I need to know what is behind this urge of Hammond's to take disciplinary action against you.", Heller questions further, not wanting to punish his best man on no grounds.

Jack lets out a short breath. "Brad Hammond suggested that Tony was involved in today's events in ways other than are known to us. That Tony had been working with Ragen against the government and he was going to investigate him for treason _again_. Sir, I regret my reaction to his accusations, but Tony has been my friend the longest and after everything that has happened, I couldn't take lightly Hammond's intention to once again put him through hell without a _single piece of evidence_ in his hand. I assume Hammond's accusations are based solely on a desire for revenge."

"Revenge for what?"

"Tony having been pardoned. He didn't succeed in keeping him behind bars once, so he's trying again."

Heller waits a few seconds to think this through, he knows both men might have a point. After a while, he audibly sighs and continues. "Okay then Jack, under the circumstances I am willing to hold off on this until this terrorist attack is taken care of, we need you to do your job. But - and I stress this Jack - when this is over, there will be an investigation and you will have to answer to the fact that you assaulted a Division Director. For now I suggest that you stay away from him as best as you can until the matters are resolved, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir. Thank you.", Jack says. Sounds like he's being given provisional status again. Well, at least he'll be able to finish the job today.

"Don't thank me yet, Jack. You can thank me when you get the job done and we get Brad Hammond off your both backs, but for that I need you to get this right, _and_ keep your cool, do you understand? I can't do miracles Jack, I'm not the President!", Heller adds, obviously referring to Tony's pardon.

Jack does not comment on it, just acknowledges. "Yes, Sir. I will."

"Alright, Jack. Go back to work, we'll finish this later."

"Thank you, Mr. Secretary."

Heller hangs up and Jack drives off again. A few turns later, the CTU building is in sight.

**Outside CTU**

Two men are sitting in a car in a parking place outside CTU. One of the men has a cut on his face. They are the ones who had been sent out to look for Jack after he killed the man from the Griffith Observatory. One of them says to the other: "This is a waste of time, he doesn't even work for CTU any more. What the hell are we doing here anyway?", he sighs, annoyed.

"Today is an emergency, he'll show.", the man with the cut answers calmly. "There's nowhere else to look for Bauer, he's not at the DOD's office, he's not at home, he'll show up here sooner or later."

"I hope you're right, otherwise we're dead meat."

"We're not. Look.", he tilts his head towards an SUV just arriving. It's Jack's. "Seems like our boy has surfaced.", he says, contented. "Call the boss."

"Right.", the other man answers and smiles. "Looks like I owe you an apology." At that, he flips open his cell phone and hits a speed dial button.

Jack leaves his car, carrying the file on Morgan and rushes, almost running, into the building. Before he enters the bullpen, Erin meets him in a hallway. "Jack." she says neutrally, not smiling too much.

"Erin. Have your people made any progress on Marie Warner or Ragen's files yet?", Jack asks straightforwardly, after briefly shaking her hand.

"Yes. Chloe thinks she may have just found out the next possible target. Come on.", she urges him, and he immediately follows her to the main floor.

"What is it?"

"She's confirming it as we speak, but it may be the L.A. Music Center."

Jack checks his watch. "Dammit. It's full of people at this hour."

"That's likely the point.", she says quickly as they enter the office area and rush over to Chloe.

"The L.A. Music Center? Are you sure?" Jack asks Chloe, as they join her at her desk.

"Yes, I just confirmed it.", she answers, forgetting to moan about him not saying hello, like her usual self would.

"How did you find out?"

"We discovered scematics of it including a complete blueprint of the ventilation system and the coordinates match with these here.", she points to a row of numbers on a laptop screen on a neighboring desk. "These are coordinates of the previous targets, the location where the truck was shot at this morning" - she says pointing to a different row of numbers - "and Camp Pendleton as well.", she concludes.

"That is good work, Chloe, thank you. We need to warn the LAMC and send out a field team to deal with the purpertraitors if they are still at the site. Alert the local authorities as well, LAPD, Emergency and the FD. We need their full support."

"I'm on it, Jack.", she nods. "But there's more."

"More?"

"Yeah. I also found this." She switches to another file. "Information on chemical and bio weapons. And detailed information about the sarin gas as well as reports on how and when it has been used in the past."

"Oh my god. They're going to release it at the LAMC!"

"Yeah. No doubt about it.", Chloe confirms Jack's conclusion.

"Alert the NHS and get a HAZMAT unit down there immediately!", Jack yells to no-one in particular. "We are dealing with terrorists who are willing to release a nerve agent at the LA Music Center tonight and kill hundreds of people, if not more. Everybody move! NOW!"

Jack then runs over to Field Ops, the way there still all too familiar to him, to find Baker. "Tom! There's a possible chemical threat at the LAMC. Assemble your team and get ready to leave in five minutes. Make sure all necessary gear is in place."

"Got it.", Baker nods and runs to prep his men, while Jack presses the intercom. Chloe's face appears on the small screen at the desk. "Chloe, I need you to run tactical for me and do it my way, no mistakes. Can you do that?"

"Sure Jack. Like in the old days.", she smirks, not hiding a tone of sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah. Like in the old days.", Jack echoes and, rolling his eyes, hangs up, then goes to the locker room to get changed and ready for the field.

**Unknown apartment building in L.A.**

A car stops in front of an apartment building - old, dirty and run down. The plaster holding the bricks together has fallen and the bricks seem ancient and rounded from endless corrosion of the elements. Still, it will do. It is suitable to be a place of operation as Ragen had thought.

Marie walks down the hallway to a door and inserts a key into the lock, opening it. The apartment is no better than the outside. The floorboards have mildew on them, the paint has flaked from the walls.

As Marie enters, she has many thoughts running through her head; Ragen is gone, now it is up to her to finish what he had started. _I loved him, I really did. But this is neither the time nor the place to mourn for him, there will be time for that later, as the operation is complete. How could he have been so careless, to let a Federal agent survive the attack and then to bring him to the compound of all places? And of course it was none other than Jack Bauer. And the other man, Almeida. Didn't Ragen check who they were; he must have._

Luckily, the other teams were not based at the compound but here, and they had both already left to prepare or carry out their missions. _Our goals can still be achieved._

Marie goes to the other room, which is set up like a study. She turns on the computer, wanting to see if their software and hack still work to get into the authorities' records and files. With Ragen's compound in the Feds' hands she had no way of knowing if their little link had been made, and worse yet, if they knew about the targets that would follow.

Marie types in a password and to her surprise, she finds that it still works. A few anxious seconds later, she is in the databases of the Federal Government. _Let's see if they have any idea on our plans._,she ponders as she types a search with the words "LA music center". The search returns no results. As the camera shifts off her, she types in another search word, and this search also comes up empty. _Alright, they don't have anything on us yet.Good._

After this, she shifts in the chair, as she starts to think about her own situation. _They know I didn't die on that bus. Where are they concentrating their search, am I in danger of being discovered? Have they connected me to Ragen? Did Bauer and Almeida survive? They had help coming as I left.If they survived, they can connect me to the attacks. _Feeling uneasy about the developments, she decides to run a search on her own name, but the most recent file that comes up is the one referring to her involvement in the nuclear bomb incedent that got her imprisoned. Somehow, she winds up reading the reports. Among the case officers are the names of Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida.

Marie's curiosity gets the better of her and she clicks on the link leading into Tony's personnel file: _Did Bauer tell the truth when he said Almeida was a traitor? _ She did remember hearing something about a federal agent being tried for treason, but within a prison the details weren't exactly plentiful. _So it is true, he is a traitor_., _s_he thinks when reading the words "Discharged by CTU for criminal act". His file also says that he is married, to a Michelle Dessler. _Why does the name sound familiar, _clicking on her name she sees Michelle's picture and remembers seeing her as she was in CTU with her father and the sadly departed Reza. _Oh, I see. They are married then. _

**Division clinic, Tony's room**

When she is certain that Tony is asleep, Michelle lifts her head from his shoulder and slowly, so as not to wake him up, gets up from the bed and walks towards the door. Jack had asked her to call him when Tony is out of surgery and she is going to do that now. Tiptoeing around the room, she reaches the door and slowly opens it and exits the room, closing the door behind her. She walks out to the waiting area and turns on her cell phone, then dials a number.

**CTU**

In the locker room, Jack had already changed, and is wearing a blue t-shirt and is just putting on a bullet-proof vest when his phone rings. "Bauer." he answers it.

"Jack. It's Michelle."

"Hey. How's Tony? Did you see him?"

"Yes, I just left his room. He's going to be alright. He's sleeping now."

Jack smiles. "That's good. I'm really glad he's gonna be okay. Did you speak to him?"

"Yes, briefly. He's still too weak to talk much. But he's coming around. I'll talk to him again when he wakes up."

"Good." Jack pauses, trying not to sound cold about this. "Look, Michelle. I know this is going to be hard for him, but we need to know what he knows about Ragen's plans. When he wakes up you have to ask him to tell you if he remembers anything, alright?"

"OK. I will. Has CTU made any progress?"

"Yes they have. There is a possible threat against the LA Music Center, we are thinking Ragen's group is planning to relase sarin gas there. Baker and I are heading to the location now, to try and stop them."

"Is there anything I can do?", Michelle asks, knowing that they will probably need any help that they can get, although her heart is telling her she should stay with Tony.

"As long as Hammond is taking care of things at Division, you don't have to do anything."

"Alright, Jack."

"One more thing, I'm gonna need to go dark once we're at the LAMC. You're not gonna be able to reach me for a while."

"OK. Good luck Jack."

"Thanks." They hang up. Jack adjusts his vest, Michelle turns off her phone, slips it into her pocket and heads back towards Tony's room.

**Palmer's residence**

David Palmer is looking out the window, standing by a bookshelf. The stars are shining brightly, it's one of those nights that make you wish you could sleep underneath the bright carpet of stars.

Agent Pierce comes in, and David turns to the door. "You wanted to see me, Sir?", Aaron asks.

"Yes, Aaron. Take a seat.", David answers, as he gestures to one of the armchairs in the room.

"Thank you."

Then he looks at Pierce. "What do you know about a man called Morgan? Dan Morgan?"

"Sir?", Aaron asks, sincerely puzzled.

"Have you heard of him?", he presses, looking for any signs of recognition in Aaron's eyes.

"I can't say I have. Why?"

"Jack Bauer called me a while ago. Apparently, Morgan was involved with Sherry at some point."

"Involved, how?"

"Romantically. Either way, he now wants revenge on me for her death."

"Bauer warned you tonight?"

"He had called earlier today already. He didn't know anything particular then, but now he has evidence this man is behind the threat."

"Sir... May I suggest we move you to a different location? You know that you could be an easy target here in the house."

"I know that Aaron. However, Jack asked me not to leave the house unless absolutely necessary. He believes that we're more vulnerable if we're on the move. And I think he may be right."

"Is that why you haven't brought this to me earlier?"

"Yes. I wanted to wait until I knew how serious this threat actually was. It seems like it's materializing now."

"Again, I think we should not wait around until they strike."

"I don't know what to do Aaron." David replies gravely. "But I _do know_ that I do not want to leave the house or hide from any terrorists. I will not succumb to a terrorist again."

"Yessir."

"And I do not want any of my children to find out anything about any threat, do we understand each other?"

"Of course Sir. I'll take care of it.", Aaron gets up from the chair.

"Thank you. And Aaron. As you know, there is an ongoing terrorist threat against the city of Los Angeles today. If word gets out that any of this is in any way connected to me, it might shed negative light on the party. Especially since Sherry seems to have somehow been involved in all this." _Even after her death, her schemes continue to haunt me._

"I understand, Sir."

"Thank you Aaron."

Aaron nods, getting up and leaving the room. It doesn't exactly suit him that Palmer doesn't want to leave. How are they supposed to protect him in a private home, especially from an unknown threat? He stops and turns to Palmer again.

"Sir, do I have permission to increase security around the house?"

"Yes. Do what you deem is necessary to ensure we can defend ourselves here."

"Yessir."

Aaron leaves the room, while David sinks onto the lounger.

**CTU**

Jack and Baker, now dressed for field, are getting ready to make the exit, their field team members now all assembled. Jack looks at every single one of them, as he speaks to them; they're all good men but CTU has lost many good agents today. While he briefs them on the situation, Jack hopes he's not sending them on a suicide mission.

"The objective is to find and apprehend these men, but the main priority is to try and prevent the release of the sarin gas in that building. If it has already been released by the time we arrive, we need to contain it. No-one leaves the building without my direct authorization. Apart from musicians and technicians, the audience will be the largest group we'll have to control. I want everyone to keep their eyes open for anyone who doesn't belong there. We're dealing with a deadly and aggressive nerve gas here, so check your equipment. Questions?" No-one speaks up, so Jack continues. "Alright, let's go."

The men gather their gear and run towards their pick-up point, ready for another mission with no assured outcome.

Outside, at the parking lot, the men lurking around for Jack are still sitting in the car, waiting. They see Jack and the team go out on an assignment. "They're leaving. Should we follow them? We can't lose Bauer again."

"No. We can't. You don't wanna attract attention.", the man with a cut across his face says, taking out his phone and dialing the boss.

"Bauer's leaving... An assignment, as it seems. We can't get to him now. We should proceed to plan B."

"Alright. Rico and Jeff will be joining you at the agreed place and time."

"OK."

"You know what to do."

"Yes.", the man answers and hangs up.

**Marie's new hideout**

Marie's research into Tony's case has for a few moments distracted her from her actual task. _Prison must have been a nasty place for a Fed. Convicts aren't too fond off them, but then again, neither am I._, she thinks maliciously and her thoughts unwillingly drift off to remember her own time in prison. Locked up in a small cell for 23 hours a day, allowed out once during the day for an hour of exercise surrounded by bland concrete walls. Food, if it could be called that, was sometimes even recognizable to be something they said it to be.They locked her away in prison, and for what? Trying to make the world a more just place to live.

After her imprisonment, Kate came to see her, once. Naive as Kate was, she still tried to reason with Marie that Ali had brainwashed her. Even after what she had said to their father about Marie shooting her, she still wasn't prepared to believe that her kid sister was a cold-blooded terrorist. Except, Marie didn't see herself as a terrorist. She was a believer. She wanted to make things better, she wanted things to change. And it was common knowledge that people needed to die to achieve any great changes, it was only a part of the process. The healing process. But she knew that her sister would never understand and she never wasted words trying to explain it to her during that visitation hour. It was the last time she ever saw Kate. And their father, a CIA agent. Him, her father, represented the things she was trying to rid of. Marie had no intention of seeing him again, but she knew she would not hesitate one second to pull the trigger on him should he ever try to stop her.

As a child in the Middle East she had seen first hand the effects of the United States' dictating and suppressing policy. No, Ali hadn't brainwashed her. She did what she believed was right, and now with Ragen's operation, things would finally be corrected. She owed it to him and moreover she owed it to herself.


	16. Problems and Problem Solvers

**Division**

Michelle comes out of a restroom at the clinic and heads towards Tony's room again. As she rounds the corner, she sees two uniformed men standing outside his door. She looks at them, puzzled, for a moment, then walks to them. "What is this?", she utters.

The other one of the guards is a little surprised by her question. "What is what, Ma'am?"

"Why are you here?"

"We were ordered here by Mr. Hammond. He said he wanted security here." he answers, having assumed she had known.

"Hammond? Did he say why?"

"No Ma'am. Just said he wanted security around the man in the room. I'm afraid you'll have to ask him for any more information."

"Alright, thank you."

Michelle picks up an internal phone screwed into the wall and calls Hammond. "Brad, it's Michelle. You placed security outside Tony's room?"

"Yes Michelle, I did." he replies, slightly irritated. "First of all, you know all outsiders must be escorted by security or office personnel, and secondly as long as he hasn't been debriefed we can't take the risk of something happening to him." Hammond knows this is a legit reason for him to call security although not necessarily the actual one.

"Is that all? You're trying to protect him? After everything you did to him and said about him?", she asks, not believing a word of what he just said.

"Yes. Right now we need to know how much he knows if we want to stop these people. And we need someone to watch him. I also need you to take over for me up here for a few hours. "

"We're in a middle of an emergency here, Brad, you can't just leave without saying where you're going. We need to be able to reach you."

"I'm heading to Federal to question Ragen's men that were captured. You can reach me by my cell phone."

"Why are _you_ doing this?", Michelle asks, not wanting to have to go back to work and leave Tony alone but also already knowing the answer. There's no-one else.

"We're shorthanded as it is after all that happened and CTU has their hands full with analyzing the intel so they can't send anyone to Federal right now. "I will be leaving shortly. All the necessary information should be in your system and on the shared volume."

Michelle sighs. "Alright. I'll be in my office."

"Good." Hammond hangs up.

Michelle slowly hangs up and stands by the phone, thinking of how to bring this to Tony.

**CTU**

The two men in the car watched as Jack and the team members board a helicopter on a landing pad outside CTU, and the aircraft lifts off. Another chopper lands and picks up the rest of the team. The two machines then fly away, their floodlights visible in the darkness for a while, and then those lights fade away. The men start the engine and drive away.

Inside one of the helicopters, Jack and Baker are sitting next to eachother, their minds on the assignment.

As the helicopters approach the surroundings of the LA Music Center, Jack calls Chloe.

"CTU, O'Brien?"

"Chloe, it's Jack. Are you ready?"

"Yes, the comm is hooked up, if you switch to channel 5 we should be on."

"Alright." Jack puts an earpiece in his ear and switches to channel 5. "Chloe?"

"I can hear you Jack."

"Alright, good." Jack hangs up the phone, and Baker and the team members adjust their comm units, too.

"Chloe, have you contacted the local authorities yet?"

"Yes, the LAPD and the FD are on site, the HAZMAT units are on their way, they should be arriving shortly, with the Level A protective suits. They're establishing a soft perimeter around the LAMC for now, and will be ready to seal it off when you give the order. They have been instructed to act under your command."

"Good. Thanks."

"Sure Jack."

**Division clinic**

Michelle slowly opens the door to Tony's room and walks in, closing it behind her again. She turns to Tony and looks at him. He's sleeping. She doesn't want to wake him up but she knows she needs to talk to him. Jack was right. They have to find out if he knows anything. She goes to his bed and gently sits down.

Despite the drugs he is on, Tony is on the edge of sleep. He stirs as he feels the bed shift and opens his eyes a little, guessing it would be Michelle.

"Hey...", Michelle whispers, smiling, as she gently runs a hand through his hair. "How are you feeling?"

Tony smiles groggily and leans into her touch. "I've been better." Things could have ended a lot worse if not for Jack and the CTU team and he is very aware of it. Shuddering slightly from the pain and images it brings, he closes his eyes to gather his thoughts.

"What happened at the compound? Do they have anything?", he then asks.

Her first impulse is to say: "You don't need to worry about that honey." She really doesn't want him wasting his energy thinking about anything other than his quick recovery. But then she remembers that she does need to talk to him about the compound and sighs, ever so slightly, before answering his question. She nods. "Yes, Jack and Baker are on their way to a potential target. The LA Music Center. They don't have much information on the planned attack, based on the intel we have, we presume that Ragen's group plans to release the sarin gas there... " she looks him in the eye. "Tony, do you know anything else that might help?"

"What, sarin?" Tony kicks himself mentally for not trying harder to hack into the files despite the risk, thinking he might have found out more. And he remembers: "I saw some canisters in what thought was the armory. I should have realized they were planning something like this. I should have seen it. Son of a bitch!" He would kick the bed in anger if he weren't injured already.

"It's ok, Tony. Just try to remember what else you saw, ok?", she whispers, holding his hand.

He shakes his head in frustration. "I only saw the encrypted coordinates.That and one of Ragen's men said that the rest of the operation was going as planned. That everything was on schedule. I couldn´t ask him without exposing myself since they assumed Smith already knew the specifics on the target. I should have."

"Hey, that's alright. ", she whispers soothingly, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. "It was too risky. You did your best, sweetheart."

"Mm-hm. Not enough. They're still out there." He adds, while shifting on the bed, not taking into account his broken ribs on his right side. _I have to get back out there.I'm the only one who can identify these guys if they're still planning multiple attacks_., he thinks, but knows if he said that out loud, Michelle wouldn't approve.

"It's okay, we'll get them.", she says softly, carressing his cheek.

"What do you mean, you?" Tony questions, alarmed that she might be going in the field again. He moans as pain from the injuries seeps through the painkillers.

"I mean CTU, Division, everyone. The good guys.", she smiles and notices his relief at her saying this as he sinks back onto his pillow.

She pauses for a few seconds, thinking about how to word what she needs to say. Then she tells him straight out. "Honey... I need to get back to work. I don't want to leave you here alone, but Hammond has gone off to interrogate some prisoners, and Jack is out in the field, he'll need support from us and I am the ranking agent. There is no-one else who can take over.", she utters these words appologetically, honestly sorry about having to leave. "I'll check up on you as soon as I can.", she adds.

Tony nods slightly, trying to keep the drugs from pulling him under once again in order to get back to help catch these people. Not willing to let go.

"I'm sorry.", she whispers and softly touches his brow with her lips. At this moment, all she wants is to stay with her husband. She needs to be there for him. She knows that and she feels it, but there is nothing she can do about it. It was the job again, calling her away, making her leave alone the only person in the world she really cares about, the love of her life, after she had promised to him that she wouldn't. She tells herself that when this is over, she'd look for a new job. And yet she knows Tony understands and she's thankful for that.

"Don't be sorry. You know I wouldn't hold anything against you" he whispers, the exhaustion creeping in.

She nods, thinking about the past few months, how hard they'd been on them, how close she was to leaving him just a few days ago. _You should_, she thinks to herself, but doesn't say anything further. She gives him one last smile before she gets up from the bed. "I love you so much, Tony... I'll come down here to see you as soon as I can."

"I love you too", he responds. With a sigh, he closes his eyes. Digging into his thoughts, he tries to think if he's missed something important. But the drugs are still strong, pulling him under yet again.

Michelle walks out of the room and closes the door behind her. She gives the guards outside the room one lengthy suspicious look, then walks away, heading to her office.

**L.A. Music Center**

The stars are shining brightly in the nightly sky as the lights of a dark van skim the surface of the road. The van pulls up to the service entrance of the L.A Music Center. It is the same group of men that Marie has spoken to. The leader, John, walks up to the security guard's booth to talk to him.

"Hey. We're coming here tomorrow to wax the floors and we came here now to bring in the equipment so we can get an early start. Here's my ID." He shows the guards the fake ID.

"Hold on a minute. I got to call control to check this."

John calmly waits as the guard makes the call and watches his men gathering their tools and equipment.

"You're good to go. Do you know the way to the maintenance room or do you want someone to show you?"

"We know the way. Thanks. Let's go guys. I want to get home tonight too, we got an early day tomorrow."

The men go inside carrying canisters with bleach and other chemicals. They walk through the marbled main hall of the center where the faint sounds of music can be heard.

**split screen:**

Jack and Baker in the helicopter. Michelle going back to her office and logging onto her computer. Chloe typing at her keyboard, trying to hook up to the LAMC system. David Palmer pacing the room, thinking. The men who were waiting for Jack drive off and away from CTU.

**LAMC**

John's men walk into the maintenance wing and divide the canisters among each other. After this, they split up, each going to a ventilation system access door.

**Kim and Chase's place**

The door opens, and Kim and Chase walk in, laughing about something. It's obvious they've just come home from a night out.

"Ooh, I'm exhausted.", Kim says as she plunges onto the couch in the living room. Chase joins her and they lean back for a few seconds. Then he grabs the remote with his right hand, just to surf the channels. The news of the tanker truck explosion and a raid at a compound in North Hollywood are on the screen. They both suddenly become very serious and listen in. At some point, Kim recognises some of the men she knew when she worked for CTU and in the midst of them, her father. Immediately, she grabs the phone and dials his cell phone, realizing he was not able to take the day off after all.

Jack, who was just about to turn off his cell phone, picks up. "Kim?"

"Dad...", she hears a familiar noise of a helicopter. "Where are you?"

"I've had to go back to work. Honey, listen to me. I've been trying to reach you. There have been terrorist attacks at the city of LA today, and they don't seem to be ending. The radius of the attacks might spread, I need you to get away from here.", he tells her, relieved she called. She's the only family he's got left and he hadn't had the time yet to call her.

"Why? What's going on?"

"You know I can't tell you that sweetheart."

"Dad... Come on. We've been through this before."

Jack is silent.

"Dad?", Kim is getting really worried right now. Jack's not replying sounds too familiar to her. Every time he did that, things were very wrong. "Dad, tell me what's going on."

Baker notices Jack's uneasiness and nods toward him. Jack then replies to Kim. "I am heading over to the LA Music Center with a CTU field team. There is a good chance a very toxic gas has been released there, everyone inside the building could die. If we can't contain it and people leave untreated, it may spread, sticking to their clothes, contaminating the entire city. Kim, I want you and Chase as far away as possible from here. Where's Angela?"

"She's with Chase's sister in Santa Barbara."

"OK, good, they should stay there. But Kim, you can't tell anyone else about this, do you understand me?"

"Yes, I understand.", she says. In the past, she wouldn't have been able to keep her mouth shut about this, but now, after having worked for CTU, she knows what keeping a secret secret means. "But dad, you don't plan on entering the building, do you?"

"We'll be wearing protective suits, we'll be alright."

"Please be careful.", she concludes. She knows there is nothing she can say to stop him, and she doesn't really want to either. If anyone can get the job done, it's her father. "I can't lose you too.", she voices her concern.

"You won't.", Jack promises. He checks his watch. He should be contacting Chloe soon. "Honey, I've got to go."

"Alright. Bye."

"Bye."

**LAMC**

The automatic air conditioning hums quietly around the ducts, circling the air within the building. The canisters are placed so that the aerosol system in them will get the maximum effect. Each of the men arms the device attached to the canisters, but one of them won't arm.

"John, I've got a problem.", the man with the faulty device calls him on the radio.

"What is it, Max?"

"I have to stay behind, this thing won't arm."

"Fine, deploy it manually in 4 minutes. You'll have 10 seconds after that to run."

"Yes, I know."

"Good luck."

"Uh-uh.", Max disconnects, a very worried expression on his face.

The rest of the group meets up again outside the maintenance rooms, heads back to their van and leaves the premises, telling the security guard they would be back first thing in the morning. He doesn't notice they're one man short.

Max goes to a maintenance room on the opposite side of the gangway and disconnects the AC, then takes duct tape from his backpack and begins to seal off the air vents.

**chopper / CTU**

"Chloe, it's Baker. Do we know the number of the security personnel at the music center?"

"Just a sec.", Chloe says, and looks it up on her system. "Yes, there seem to be around 8 security guards on site, they have not been alerted yet. Want me to let them know what's going on?"

Jack: "No. We don't want panic to ensue. We need to try and prevent this thing from happening, the less people are in the loop initially, the better. I do need you to get me in contact with the person in charge of security there. Tell him to move his people to the exits and pass him to me."

"Alright Jack.", Chloe agrees. "What's your ETA?"

"We're about 5 minutes out."

**LAMC**

The timers on the sarin gas containers count down to zero. The triggers activate, and the caps on the containers are blown open. Since the gas is colorless, a hissing sound coming from the container is all that gives away that the contents of the canisters are being spread into the ventillation system and carried to all areas of the building.

Max, undressed to his underwear, checks his watch and manually activates the trigger on his container, then runs away as fast as he can and locks himself in the room on the opposite side of the gangway. Quickly, he shoves his shirt and pants under the door to prevent the gas from coming through and once again checks that he has really shut off the air conditoning in the room.

Satisified, but not unworried, he sits down in a corner, waiting. What he'd be waiting for he didn't know, just as little as he knew how long he'd have to stay there. His only hope is that the gas will remain outside and that no-one unwanted would come inside and find him.

**CTU Chopper**

Chloe contacts Jack. "I've got the Head of Security on the phone for you, his name is Per Lovgren. I've let him know of the basics."

"Alright, thanks." Jack waits until Chloe puts him through. "This is Jack Bauer, CTU. We're approaching the site now. Have you repositioned your people?"

"Yes, I´ve got two guards covering each of the two main exits but I need more personnel to cover the remaining exit doors."

"Alright, you'll have them. We have LAPD units on standby outside the Center, they'll support your men. Out ETA is 3 minutes."

"OK."

"Have you noticed anyone unauthorized entering the building in the last hour?"

"We had a maintenance team come in about 40 minutes ago, they left 15 minutes ago."

"Were they scheduled to do any work? When did the request come in?"

"Yes, they were. Ah, lemme chek... The request came in 4 hours ago."

_This could be them_., Jack thinks. "Alright, we're coming in now, tell your men to be ready. It is your responsibility to make sure they do their jobs and not panic."

"Do you want us to evacuate?"

"No. Not yet. Some of the perpetrators might still be inside and if we evacuate now we will lose track of them. I want to make a sweep of the building before we let people out. I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be done."

The guard nods, understanding he might not make it out alive, but all the more vengeful. "I understand. You'll have our support."

"Thanks." Jack switches to Chloe. "Chloe, there was a maintenance team in the LAMC in the last hour. I want you to see if you can track them, see where they went. They left about 15 minutes ago. If they are on Ragen's team, they might lead us to Marie."

"Alright, I'm on it."

**Division**

Michelle is now back on the main floor, looking through some files, while waiting for someone. Soon, Steve joins her. "Michelle?"

"Hey."

"Is your husband alright?"

"Yes, he is.", she replies, somewhat startled by the sudden interest in her private life. But she realizes it may also simply be an attempt to assess her emotional state and whether she is fit for duty. She straightens up before changing the subject and answering decisively. "Hammond is at Federal, as you know, so I'm reassuming my position. Bring me up to speed."

"Alright...", Steve takes a seat at his desk, and opens up a file on the computer.

**Division Clinic**

Tony wakes up as the anesthetics have worn off. He just lies there, contemplating on how to explain his need to get back out there. He knows he can convince the doctor to release him because of the current situation, but convincing Michelle won't be so easy. He doesn't have to wait long as Dr. Burke comes in to check how he's doing. Burke picks up Tony's chart and leafs through it.

"So, Mr. Almeida, how are you feeling?", Dr. Burke asks, looking up from the chart.

"Uhmm, I'm feeling alright. Still a little lightheaded but not as bad as the last time I woke up."

"That's good to hear.", the doc nods. "What about the pain? Is it bearable?"

"Yeah, it is. Sometimes it flares up but I guess that´s to be expected." Tony replies, while thinking how to bring up the subject of getting out of the clinic.

"Yes it is. You've been very lucky, though. This could have ended much worse.", he says, proceeding to check Tony's IV, then pulls out a pen light to check the reactiveness of Tony's pupils and shines it consecutively to both of Tony's eyes. Satisfied, he nods. "Alright, if you need anything else, just let the nurse know. It will take some time for you to make a full recovery, but I think we should be able to release you in a couple of days. The most important thing now is for you to rest. Like I told your wife earlier, the greatest risk at this point is an infection, so we want to avoid that. You shouldn't be straining yourself."

_Well Tony, time to tell him the facts,_Tony thinks wearily. "Look, ahm, Dr. Burke. I know you're not going to like hearing this but I am asking you to release me."

Dr. Burke looks at him quizzically. "Release you where?"

"Out of the clinic. I still have a job to do."

"No, Mr. Almeida, I'm afraid I can't do that. Right now, I believe someone else will have to do your job. You are in no condition to leave the clinic.", the doctor says, standing at the side of Tony's bed now.

Tony takes a breath before replying. "I am the only one _who can_ do it. I'm sure you know of the attacks that have taken place today. I can identify these people and help stop them.You don't have to clear me for field work, just to let me do my job here. I can have my wife re-admit me when this is over, but right now I need to get out there. I know this will be AMA and I will take full responsibility of that. Have me sign a waiver or whatever, but let me out there to do my job.", he ends empathetically.

The doctor eyes him carefully for a few long seconds. Tony does seem to be very determined. He sighs. "I understand your commitment, Mr. Almeida, but this is just not possible. You just got out of surgery and I am not sure if you can handle it at this point. Your body is not in the shape to handle the stress your kind of job brings, you might just collapse out of the blue... I really cannot - "

"I´m getting out of here with your approval or without it.", Tony interrupts. "I will only be in the building, I'm not going in the field. You can give me some painkillers to get me through this, just for the duration. But I _need_ to get back to work. Now.", he says with an edge in his voice, glaring at the doctor.

The doctor sighs, and finally nods. Stubborn patients are no news to him, but - more often than not - they come back to see him sooner or later. "Fine... Alright. I'll have a nurse bring your release papers and I'll prescribe you something to get you through this day, but please try not to work yourself to death, ok? Do what you have to do, but if you start feeling you can't handle this -"

"Look, I can handle it.", Tony is getting really irritated now. "Just let me leave, alright?"

"Yes, alright. Wait here.", Dr. Burke concludes and leaves the room. Tony's reason for leaving AMA is at least both legitimate and significant.

**Palmer residence**

David walks out onto a balcony and closes the door behind him. Dialing a number, he puts the phone to his ear and waits.

"It's David.", he says as someone picks up on the other end.

**LAMC**

The helicopters land, one after another, like they picked up the team at CTU, on a crossroads between two avenues that had been freed from traffic by the LAPD. The team members jump out, Jack immediately runs over to a policeman, asking him who was in charge. He is directed to a captain and and runs over to him. "Jack Bauer, Department of Defense, I am in command here from now on."

"Yes, we have been instfucted by CTU LA. How do you wish to proceed?"

"I want a minimum of three men per exit. People will start leaving soon. Until we know if the substance has already been released inside, no-one walks out of the building. As soon as the site is secure, I want everyone in decontamination a.s.a.p." He glances around. "Set up a decon area over there. The faster this can start happening, the more people are going to survive this attack."

"Yes Sir.", the captain agrees.

"I also need you to coordinate with my men, so that we wouldn't waste valuable time on miscommunication. Has the NHS arrived yet?"

"They're just pulling up over there.", he points to a motorcade of NHS vans arriving.

"Good. They'll have enough HAZMAT suits with them, I need everyone to wear them. We don't want helpers being contaminated, there's enough to deal with already."

"Of course."

"Alright, let's go."

**CTU**

"Where is Jack's team?", Erin questions, after joining Chloe at her desk.

"They've just arrived at the LAMC. The NHS is there, the teams are getting ready to make an entrance."

"Alright. Do we have a live feed?"

"Yes."

"Put it through to my office."

**Palmer residence / Undisclosed location**

"Wayne, I need your help on this."

"David, I really don't think I can make enquiries about this and not raise red flags all over the place. The word will leak out.", Wayne Palmer replies as he nervously paces the room, once again walking over to the door as if to make sure it is really closed.

"Then see that it doesn't. Wayne, I don't want to put you at risk. But you're my brother, I need you now."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. I'll get back to you."

"Thank you."

"David. Be careful."

"I will. You too."

"Yeah."

The Palmer brothers both hang up slowly.

**LAMC**

Jack and the team members are wearing Level A protective biosuits now. Jack speaks into his mike. "Chloe, we're moving in now. We're going dark."

"I got you Jack. Good luck."

The line is disconnected and Jack silently signals Baker to move in from the other side.


	17. The Witnesses and getting to them

**A/N: Honestly, I've been a little disappointed at the recent lack of reviews :-( **

**I do hope you're still reading it and liking it; I understand it's summer and all, but it always helps the motivation to read a few nice comments to help heal a hurting soul... hint, hint :-)**

**enjoy and I can promise lots of angst (and lots of Tony) for the future chapters.**

**

* * *

**

**LAMC**

The CTU teams make their entrance into the building. Baker's and Jack's half of the team enter at separate doors and ID themselves to the security personnel, also taking a few LAPD men with them, to help secure the exits. "We have a situation in here, I don't want anyone leaving the building until further notice, do you understand?", Jack tells the two guards at the exit he just passed through.

"Yes, Sir, we have been instructed by Mr. Lovgren.", one of the guards replies and the other one nods affirmatively.

"Alright." Jack looks over at Baker, who has talked to two guards at the other main entrance, and gets a GO sign from him. Jack signals an OK. Wordlessly, both CTU teams begin to move further into the building.

Simultaneously, LAPD begins to establish a hard perimeter around the LAMC, sealing off the area.

**Division clinic**

After getting dressed in a pair of field pants and a T-shirt, Tony leaves the clinic, slowly. As he walks away from the room, he notes that the guards are following him, but is not really surprised, nor does he feel disturbed by their presence.

In fact, as Tony finds his way through the maze of Division's corridors, he comes to realize that he didn't even think it odd to find uniformed, armed guards waiting for him, nor to see them follow closely every step he made; really, he hadn't even noticed them at first. To his great shock and discomfort, it hits him that the only thing he found odd was that there were no cold steal handcuffs tightened around his wrists: he had grown accustomed to them.

_Thank god I'm out._, he tells himself, thankful to Jack and Palmer for making it possible him to breathe free air again.

As he finally reaches the staircase to Michelle's office, he turns to the guards: "Could you wait here? I'm only going to talk to my wife and it's personal.", he asks politely, but decisively. They nod OK and remain standing at the bottom of the stairs, while Tony climbs up carefully, keeping his hand on the rail, until he gets to her door and slightly opens it to see if she's inside.

"Uhm, Michelle?", Tony utters in a low voice.

Michelle looks up from her keyboard and towards the door, to see Tony holding on to the doorframe, peering in. "Tony?" She gets up from her chair instantly, walking over to him, visibly worried. "Honey, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be down at the clinic." She places a hand on his shoulder softly.

He knew that was coming. "Look, I need to get back to work." he says, not argumentative but determined. No use going around it.

Michelle sighs. This whole situation rings a bell, they've been here before. "Tony...", she begins, shaking her head slightly. "No. Don't do this. Jack can handle it from here. Don't do this to yourself, you're not fit for work, and you know that just as well as I do."

"I can do this, alright!" he snaps. He's sick and tired of people thinking he can't handle himself. Michelle is clearly taken aback by this reply, and for a second, says nothing.

Tony realizes that he's acting inappropriately, and leaning more onto the doorframe, he sighs. "I'm sorry... I just _need_ to do this. We almost had them. I have to see this through. Besides, Jack needs someone to run tactical for him. You and CTU are busy with coordinating the hazmat scenario and trying to prevent further attacks.", he says with a small smile.

Michelle puts an arm around his waist and leads him into the room, sitting him down on her chair. She crouches in front of him, looking him in the eyes, gently caresses him, moving a strand of hair that had been covering his eye back in place.

"Tony. Sweetheart, only a few hours ago, I was worried sick, I didn't know if you'd come back from Ragen, if I'd ever see you alive again. When I saw you in surgery - for the second time... everything just came back up, the worry, the sadness, the fear. I thought I'd lost you for good."

Her eyes sink to the floor for a second but her thoughts come rushing to the surface. _When they locked you away in prison, everything fell apart. I lost you. I got you back thanks to some miracle no-one really believed in, and now, today, you were almost ripped away from me again. I can't go through this ever again..._Her throat tightens but can't bring herself to say it, knowing that any memories of prison she'd evoke in him would end up hurting him badly.

She looks up, finding his eyes and instead whispers, "I don't want to lose you. Not now, not ever."

Tony is silent, he knows exactly what she's going through and yet, the urge to get back to work and help apprehend these criminals is stronger than any feeling he had felt in months. Surely much stronger than any emotions he had allowed himself to feel since his release from prison or longer yet, since his incarceration. It was a defense strategy to him, and at the same time, he was hoping to protect Michelle as well. He didn't and still doesn't want her to know how he felt during his imprisonment, how devastated, how hopeless. She doesn't _need to know_ how he tried to kill all emotions, since he knew it was the only way to stay alive and not go mad while Inside. But the feeling that he's needed now, that he can contribute something to - anything, really, is overwhelming.

"Honey, you need rest.", he hears her speak in a normal tone now, her voice steady, and he knows she's had to compose herself again, but she managed to. She looks at him and speaks soothingly. "I know you feel like you have to get back out there, but the best way you could help us right now is if you remember anything you found out at Ragen's compound and just tell us. I don't want you to strain yourself and bring yourself into more danger. We both know you were lucky to get away alive, don't chance things. Please."

Tony sees the sadness in Michelle's eye and touching her cheek, he replies. "I know you were scared. I'm sorry you had to go through this again. And I know that me coming back here now doesn't help any. I cannot give you a flawless reason why I need to do this, I just feel it. I owe it to Jack and moreover I owe it to myself.", he tells her. _I did all I could do, but I can't shake off the feeling that the failure of this operation was partly due to me, I need to make things right. Surely you'll understand that, sweetheart. I know you will._, he thinks to himself.

Michelle closes her eyes briefly, feeling his warm touch, enjoying the sensation. There hadn't been that many gentle moments between them since he came home from prison. She didn't push him, knowing it would take time. Time for him to get used to being treated with love and respect again, after the hell he'd been through. Her eyes closed, leaning into his touch, she tries to push away the reality for a while, to just give this very instant to the two of them, just for now. Just for a moment.

Tony takes her hand and carefully pulls her towards him, mindful of the injuries. Their faces only inches apart, he runs his hand through her hair, leaning forward and kissing her tenderly on the lips. She kisses him back softly.

The taste, the touch of his warm lips is intoxicating. She pulls him in, suddenly hungry for him, deepening the kiss, for a brief moment almost forgetting the world around her; at that moment, all she wanted was him. As their kisses continue, for the first time in months - in almost a year - she felt like they were husband and wife again.

A while later, their lips part and both of them look at each other. Her eyes are still wet, but he smiles innocently at her and as he does, he feels like there is some kind of a relief in her eyes. Tony pulls her so that their foreheads touch and whispers:

"Sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere from here, you can keep an eye on me the whole time. Just let me set up in one of the conference rooms. I promise you, you can check me back to the clinic or one of the medical centers when this is over, but let me do this now. Please, Michelle." Tony looks in her eyes, asking her.

She sighs. Could she ever say no to him when he whispered her name like that, when he gave her _that_ look? Experience showed that no, she couldn't. Plus she knows him well enough to understand there's nothing she can do or say to stop him from doing what he thinks is right. Even after the country that he felt this responsibility for had pronounced him a traitor and put him in jail. After all that's happened, even now, she knows Tony will do whatever it takes to stop more terrorist acts taking place today.

And finally she relents. "Alright... But promise me to stand down if you don't feel well, please.", she looks at him pleadingly.

Tony knows it's the least he can do now, after putting her through so much. "I promise. Thank you." he whispers and kisses her forehead.

**LAMC**

Biosuits and gas masks on, the CTU teams enter the LAMC and also take a few masks inside with them for the security guards, if only to make them cooperate and calm them down. They have distributed a few masks and given the order to keep the people inside the building when one of the guards falls to the ground and starts going into convulsions.

"It's beginning.", Jack utters.

Educated by previous experience with the cordilla virus at the Chandler Plaza hotel and the fact that Ragen's schematics showed the air conditioning system, putting two and two together, Jack realizes the AC is still running and spreading the deadly gas through the building. "Where is the central ventilation unit?", he calls to a security guard wearing a gas mask.

"Down in the basement, Level F, room 108."

"Shut down the AC!", he yells to the guard, and then to Baker. "Tom, to the basement! We might still have a chance to catch them!"

Jack, followed by the teams, rushes down the stairs. Moving swiftly but carefully, they arrive at level F. Jack spots room 108 far down the hall, but before they can get to it, they need to make sure the other rooms are empty and secured. Silent signals among the men are sufficient to send groups of two down each side of the gangway, checking rooms on the opposite sides at a parallel pace; one by one, Jack and Baker up front, taking the lead.

As they secure the rooms, they find them unlocked and empty and leave the doors open. Finally, as they open 108, they see open metal canisters on the floor and realize that is where the gas was released. 109, the room opposite this one, is locked. There's a small, bull-eye-like glass window in the door of the room and the two men looking in recognize a man in one of the corners of the room. From his posture they conclude he is still alive and relay that info to Jack.

Jack glances at a light above the door marked "AC" - it is off. Jack calls the men away from the door and speaks softly. "He must have sealed off the room, he could be one of Ragen's group that got trapped inside. Stay close and watch him but whatever you do, don't open that door. I want him alive."

Not wanting to keep the people in the building any longer than necessary, Jack breaks the radio silence and orders the evacuation. He also asks for a spare gas mask.

**Division**

Michelle leads Tony into an empty Conference Room and hands him a laptop. They had both decided it was better if he weren't working on the main floor – he'd be away from everyone who would stress him additionally, and he'd still be able to help. "I'll let CTU and Division know that you will be coordinating everything from here. The DOD should send their intel to you, too, I'll talk to Audrey."

"Alright, thanks.", Tony says plainly, smiling slightly.

Michelle just stands there, looking at him, as if looking for some reassurance in his eyes. He bites his lip as he looks at her, then continues, nodding slightly as he speaks: "Hey. It'll be alright."

"I know.", she whispers, smiling back at him, squeezing his hand and then letting go of it. "You know where to find me if you need anything, ok?", she says as she walks to the door.

"Yeah. I do." As his words ring out, Tony grins at his own reply, remembering another, by far more pleasant situation where he'd said those exact words some three years ago.

"Alright.", she nods as she holds on to the doorknob just for a second longer than really necessary. The slight pun takes a second or two to register, but when it does, she chuckles inwardly. _God, I missed him_, she thinks. Then, she turns it and walks out of the room.

**LA Federal**

Brad Hammond gets out of a car and walks toward a building, it's the LA Federal Prison. He ID's himself.

"Brad Hammond, Division Director. I'm here to interrogate the men who were arrested at the compound in West Hollywood earlier today, in connection with today's terrorist attacks. I had them transferred here directly."

"Yes, Sir. Follow me please."

Hammond does. A couple of corridors deeper into the building, he again shows his ID, and after briefly being inspected, he clears security. "How many people have we brought in?", he then asks.

"I think about 8 or 9. I'll show you the list."

Hammond takes the list from the man and reads the names: Bronston, Wiley, O'Hara, Newton... "I want to talk to each of them individually. Let me start with Patrick Newton." _He's almost 50, maybe he's got more to lose than these greenhorns, he might want to cut a deal and spill the beans._, Hammond thinks to himself.

"Yes, Sir. If you'll wait here, I'll have the prisoner brought to you in a couple of minutes."

"Alright."

**LAMC**

"Tom, they're gone.", Jack tells Baker as they retreated back to room 108. "Our only chance is to get this man alive. The rest of his team must have left him behind."

"How do we know he's not dead?"

"Andy saw him moving. Besides, the sarin would have stayed out of the room if it's sealed off well enough. We need to move fast. If we put the gas mask on him within seconds of opening the door, he should make it."

"Alright."

Someone arrives with a key to the room and the spare gas mask wrapped in a towel so it wouldn't get contaminated inside the building and hands the mask to Jack. "Thank you. On my count: 1 - 2 - Go!"

Baker unlocks the door and pulls it open quickly. Jack bursts into the room, running towards Max. The noise at the door startles the man and he wakes up, having incautiously fallen asleep. He opens his eyes, but before he has the time to begin to sit up, Jack is on top of him, placing the mask on his face. As Max tries to struggle, Baker pins him down to the floor, and Jack secures the mask on him. The rest of the team point their weapons at him and Max finally realizes: _the Feds. They found me_. Baker cuffs him, then Jack pulls him up onto his feet and they begin to lead him out.

**Federal Prison**

As Hammond waits, he goes through the situation in his head: _Fanatics, trying to bring down the government. And then Marie Warner happens to come into the picture. They most likely have more targets, this is much too combustible mix to be this easy. This Newton must know about these; who planned the attacks with Ragen, who coordinated the attacks. Two convicted traitors and a crisis like this. There's more to this._

The guards bring Newton in and sit him to a chair. Hammond looks at him silently, letting him sweat it out for a while.

The man's features are rugged but he looks slightly younger than his age, a result of a physical conditioning over his years in the military. "Patrick Newton." Hammond says finally. "Our records say you are a retired Army sergeant first class. How did you become involved with terrorists after such a long and distinguished career?", he asks almost casually.

Newton looks at Hammond for a few seconds, then his eyes return to the concrete floor. He considers ignoring the man infront of him completely, but then decides that a little chat wouldn't hurt. After all, he might not get to talk to all that many people after they throw him in jail.

How did he get involved? "That's a good question. Can you answer it?", he asks Hammond mockingly.

"I have more important things to mind than to play your charades. The more you obstruct justice the more difficult it will be. You still have a chance at a reduced sentence and a deal if you co-operate. Let's start with an easy question. How long have you known about Ragen's plans?"

"I joined the project 6 months ago. Can't tell you how long it's been in the planning stages, though.", Newton replies nonchalantly.

**Palmer's residence**

David's cell phone rings. "Yes?"

"David, it's me.", Wayne, on the other end of the phone, says.

"Hold on." David walks to the door of the study and closes it. "Did you find out anything?"

"I can fax you a photo of the man CTU thinks is behind this. Along with some information about the events that took place today and what is known about the people behind it."

"Alright, send it. I'm right by the fax machine. How did you obtain this?"

"That's irrelevant. I've got my contacts. David, this man, Morgan… If even half of the things they say about him is true… I mean, he won't back off from anything. Apparently, he was involved in planning the assassination on Senator Lloyd seven years ago.", Wayne almost whispers.

"I'm aware of the possibility, Wayne. The photograph is coming through now. Thank you."

"No need to thank me, David, just watch yourself.", Wayne hangs up as someone enters the room he is in.

**LAMC**

Jack and the team, with Max in the tow, take a side exit out of the building after briefly ID-ing themselves to the man at the door. They walk over to the decontamination area and take turns at being showered down and then remove the protective suits after Max has been showered down too.

Inside the LAMC, efforts are underway to evacuate visitors; as sarin spreads, more and more people start showing symptoms, while others are trying to run past those in convulsions, covering their nose and mouth with whatever they have. It is an atmosphere of 'every man for himself', where people will run over dead bodies in order to try and escape the unknown sickness that is rapidly consuming the lives of those around them.

The CTU and their helpers are attempting to remain in control and make the people leave as calmly as possible and get them into the fresh air and the decontamination area as quickly as possible. It is taking their combined efforts to prevent panic and make visitors leave in an orderly fashion and it's becoming increasingly difficult.

"This is an emergency evacuation. All visitors are asked to leave the building as swiftly as possible, but try and remain calm. Everybody is to go to one of the decontamination areas to both sides of the building. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Exit the building calmly." These and similar instructions are repeated through the PA system and by the security personnel as visitors, staff and musicians are ushered out.

**Division **

Michelle approaches Steve. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to track down Marie Warner. Chloe lost her earlier when she entered a subway station but I have managed to find her and determine which train she took. There is no surveillance on all of the stations but I've been digging through footage of the available ones to see where she got off the train."

"And?"

"I haven't found her so far. But it is also possible she switched trains so I'm looking into that too. We've given out her description to local law inforcement and the security at the subway stations along the way, but I think she's long gone by now and that won't be of much help. So I'm also following the other lead we have. I'm trying to find the van that left the LAMC shortly before Jack's team got there. Jack thinks it might be the men on Ragen's team that carried out the attack. I've found the van as it left the music center, but since it's nighttime, it's taking a little longer to analyze the sat footage and track them. So far it's looking like they're heading to East LA. They passed the 6th Street Bridge and I've got them on East Wittier Boulevard now."

"OK, make sure you give the location to one of our field teams when you have it. We need it checked out ASAP. Grabbing Marie Warner is probably the only possibility to stop further attacks."

"Yes, I know. But at the moment, we're very shorthanded. All of our field teams including CTU ones are pretty much occupied with handling the LAMC situation, we don't really have any men to spare. If any other threats come up, I really don't know who is supposed to take care of it."

"We'll handle it.", Michelle says confidently. "Let Tony coordinate all units. I need someone to keep track of everything, all units, positions, and assignments, including local law enforcement, so that we have people where they're needed. I don't want them bumping into each other. Jack has field command but all teams report to Tony."

"Is Tony fit for duty?"

"He'll manage. He's done this before.", _although never in such a bad physical condition_, she admits to herself. "Just do it Steve, please."

"OK."

**Division Conference Room **

Tony had logged on to the computer with an access code that Michelle had provided. After entering the main volume of Division's files, he suddenly stops typing and sighs to himself.

_Didn't think you'd be doing this ever again, did you Tony? No, I was more focused on surviving the next 20 years in a maximum security prison_, he answers his own question. _But here you are, doing something meaningful again_, he nearly smiles to himself. Tony rubs his forehead tiredly and concentrates on the job at hand, carefully studying the reports and mission profile on the shared volume, so that he has a clear picture of the situation and units involved before making any decisions on deployment.

**Federal Prison**

Hammond is now standing, his arms crossed, his stance defensive. He glares at Newton, annoyed. "Who planned the operations? Was it only Ragen or were there others? " Hammond presses on, tired of the man's stalling.

"All I can tell you is Ragen was in charge of the operation. Of course others were involved, but everyone answered to Ragen. He was the head of the operation. The rest of us followed his orders. Whom Ragen answered to, I don't know. And I don't think anyone else does."

_I knew there was more to this._ Hammond thinks. "Let me paint you a picture. I understand you have three children. 5, 10 and 12, right? You will never get to see them again, except through an inch thick plastic window. Won't see them graduate and live their lives. You'll spend your days in a 15 by 10 cell, maybe with a murderer or a rapist. That's what you're looking at right now, unless you help. So if you know anything about the things I want to know about, you better tell me now." he stops to let his words sink in.

"Who ran the past operations, the attacks on the fuel truck and the attack on Camp Pendleton? And don't lie, we know your group is responsible.", he then asks.

"What do you want me to say? I've already answered that. Ragen. Ragen was in charge. Ragen planned the operations, Ragen ran them. No-one else. And as for prison, we knew that was a possibility. I made a choice, I did what I believed in, and I am prepared to live with it, so don't think you can play mind games with me here." He leans back into the chair, grinning smugly at Hammond, a look that makes it clear he doesn't intend to talk any longer.

Hammond returns the glare for a while, then, in a vain attempt to hide his frustration, turns to the buzzer at the door and calls for the guards.

**split screen**

Michelle in her office; Jack taking off the wet protective suit; Tony leaning back in the chair for a moment, taking a breath while waiting for some data to filter in; Newton being led away in cuffs again; Hammond, frustrated, leafing through the file in his hand, thinking about whom to bring in for questioning next.

**Palmer's residence**

Aaron Pierce knocks on the door of Palmer's study and opens it.

"Mr. President? I'm afraid I have some bad news, sir."

Palmer looks up from a report he's been reading. "What is it Aaron?"

"Sir, in light of the events that have transpired today, it has been decided to move you away from the major Los Angeles area. For your personal safety, sir."

"I thought I'd asked you to protect me here, Aaron. What changed?" Palmer notices three more Secret Service men outside the door, waiting.

"Yes, Sir. But it appears that the attack on the Los Angeles Music Center is not completely contained. Sarin was released, and in the light of the current threat against you, it has been decided that you are no longer safe inside the house." Aaron responds, somewhat uncomfortable for going against Palmer's wishes again.

Palmer sighs. "Where are my children? Have they been moved?"

"Sir, they are safe. They have not been moved yet, but as far as we know, the threat is only against you and not your children. However, the security personnel has been notified and appropriate measures will be taken if necessary."

"Alright, thank you.", David says, relieved to hear his most valuable fortune is okay. Then, he puts the document away, and places both his hands on the desk, interlocking his fingers. "So, there is nothing you can do here? The Secret Service is ordering me to leave my home?"

"It is out of my hands, Mr. President. Yes, it is an order. I am asking you to accompany me."

Wordlessly, Palmer nods, then stands up from the chair, and after giving Aaron a long but not unfriendly glance, walks past him towards the door, waiting for him to follow. He understands well what the SS is doing is for his safety, yet he'd rather stay on top of the events than in an underground bunker somewhere out of reach or wherever they were taking him. But now that he's not in Office any longer, he also knows that he has no choice but to do as they advise. This emergency does not require him overseeing it directly.

"So where are we headed?", he places a question.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you, sir.", Aaron answers, as he calmly follows Palmer through the house and towards the door.

**LAMC**

Jack phones Chloe, holding Max's ID in his hand. "Hey, it's Jack. I need some background information on a man we picked up inside. I think he was on Ragen's team. Name is Max Norris, age 40, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 7th 1966. Got that?"

"Yeah, I got it. When do you need it?", Chloe utters, but regrets it instantly, knowing the answer.

"Now, Chloe. I've got him in custody and need to talk to him a.s.a.p."

"Alright."

"Thanks." Jack hangs up.

"Jack -" Chloe replaces the phone; she was going to tell him about Tony but that will have to wait now.

**Palmer's residence**

David Palmer and his entourage approach the house door. Two SS agents leave the house first to ensure everything is quiet, then motion to Aaron and Palmer to follow. Two black limousines are waiting outside, two agents stood by each of them. In the back, a black SUV with more agents inside is waiting. As Palmer exits the house, the back door to the second limousine is opened for him.

Suddenly, small metal canisters roll towards the cars. A hissing sound reveals gas streaming out of them.

As the gas is released, the agents push Palmer into the limo and close the door. Aaron then tries to run to the front door of the limo but he's brought to his knees by the gas. The driver is trying to scan his surroundings, his weapon drawn, but cannot see anything through the cloud of gas. The agents in the SUV dismount the vehicle, spreading out, trying to see the attackers. One of the agents does see someone and fires in that direction.

Gunfire erupts from that position, taking out the agent. "Rico, circle around." the order comes from the leader of the group. Rico starts to move into the gas cloud. Wearing a gas mask, he manages to get to Palmer's vehicle and rips open the door. The rest of the attackers return gunfire, giving him cover.

Pierce and the agent in the driver's seat also try to return fire but are soon unconscious from the nearby gas grenade. Some of the other agents are taken down by the gunfire.

As the gas streams inside the vehicle, Palmer, too, can feel his head getting dizzy. He only barely manages to see the man who approaches him before passing out.

Suddenly, the scene is quiet. Palmer and his driver are dragged out of the vehicle and quickly carried into a van.

Soon, Aaron Pierce is also placed inside the van, and the vehicle leaves the scene, followed by the two men who had previously been watching Jack in their own car.

One of them dials a number and just says, "It's done." The report is short but serves its purpose.

"Very well. Bring them here.", the answer comes as the line disconnects.


	18. Setting the Trap

**A/N: Thanks for your continuing support :-). enjoy the next chapter - and remember, it's just for fun!**

**

* * *

**

**CTU / LAMC**

After pulling up information on Max, Chloe picks up the phone and calls Jack. She only waits for the ringing to stop, not even waiting for him to actually say something. "Jack, it's Chloe. Before you hang up on me again, I think you should know that Tony has left the clinic and is working at Division now. Michelle wants him coordinating all units and the information flow; needless to say, I don't think he should be there right now, and I think it's a mistake he is back on duty. ", she says rolling her eyes, even though Jack can't see it through the phone. "He has asked me to send him files on Ragen and I have, but-"

Jack shakes his head. "Slow down Chloe. What are you saying? Tony is back at work?", he asks incredulously.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying, Jack. And after the injuries he has suffered, I don't think he should be running anything at Division or anywhere."

Jack sighs. _There we go, Chloe's famous personal skills again_. "Listen Chloe, I don't have time to discuss this right now, Tony will probably want to go through the files and see if he can remember anything else. Give me what you have on Norris."

"Alright, but I still think Michelle is wrong about letting him work, I just wanted you to know that."

Now, it's Jack's turn to roll his eyes, but he says nothing further, knowing it is pointless to have these discussions with Chloe. He waits until she gives him the information he wants.

**Division**

Tony is sitting in a chair at the end of the long table and studying some of the files from Ragen's computers. Frustrated, he leans back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment. "Son of a bitch, this is fruitless. The files haven't been encrypted with any regular programs. Ragen must have used something else. I'll let the analysis run, but it's gonna take too long. Why didn't I ask for specifics when I had the chance, this could have been avoided." Angry with himself, he takes a gulp of water from a bottle and refocuses his attention on the multitude of files in the volume.

**CTU / LAMC**

"Alright, here we go.", Chloe begins and Jack listens attentively. "Max Norris, age 33, from Alabama... Dropped out of highschool at 16, smaller felonies, did some time for theft and burglary... No previous associations with terrorist cells... Parents died in a plane crash when he was 18. He managed to find a way to survive on the streets and he's apparently got quite a reputation in his line of work. I have no information here as to how he connects to Ragen and his team though. Nothing about Marie or anyone else involved either. You're gonna have to talk to Norris about it yourself.", she finishes and pauses.

"OK, Chloe. Anything else?"

"Well, he has no family; there have been a few girlfriends, but it seems he finds his amusement in brothels and such. No relatives. He's working for himself and calling his own shots. From what I can see here, I don't think he trusts very many people. That's about it."

"OK, thanks."

"Good luck."

"Yeah.", Jack says, his eyes on the closed back doors of the CTU van.

**Division**

Since the analysis takes time and does nothing but frustrate him, Tony decides to check on the deployment of the LAPD in the vicinity of the Music center and picks up the phone. He dials the number of the LAPD's on site commander. After a couple of rings, someone picks up.

"McKeown."

"Captain McKeown, this is Tony Almeida. I'm calling to check what the status of the teams and the perimeter is?" Tony tells the man, raising his voice to be heard on the other end.

"Ahh, yes. We have all the traffic from the North to the music center re-routed, including the I-5 exits and to the south we have cut traffic from a 2 block radius from the music center."

"What about to the West and East?", Tony asks.

"I have more officers coming in so that we can set the outer perimeter along the intersections of West 2ND Street. The eastern perimeter is set up at Spring Street., but we cannot seal up the perimeter completely until I get more men."

"Alright, Captain. There should be some units from the Sheriff's Department en route to assist you. You need to coordinate with their commander to get your perimeter sealed. We need it done fast, I'm sure you realize that."

"Yes, I do. It shouldn't be long now."

"Thank you, Captain."

**LAMC**

Inside the CTU van, there are two benches along each side of the vehicle. Jack is sitting opposite Max on one of them, and Max is on a bench on the other side. CTU personnel are standing outside the van, guarding it, and preventing interruptions. Jack looks at Max for several seconds, and then speaks. "So, Mr. Norris. Or can I call you Max?" He doesn't wait for a reply. "How come you became trapped in this room in that building over there?", Jack asks casually.

"The thing didn't work like it was supposed to. I had to set it manually."

_Good, he isn't even trying to deny it_. "What thing? The gas canister?", Jack presses on.

"Yeah, that. John said before that it was supposed to work and we'd be out as quckly as we came."

"How many others were on the team?"

"There were four of us, and the driver."

"Where did the others go to? I know a woman named Marie Warner is overseeing this now, are they going to meet her?", Jack says, not wasting time.

"I don't know. They didn't tell me. Said it was on a need to know basis."

"Fine, then where were you supposed to go to after this attack?"

"To some apartment. Somewhere downtown."

"Where?", Jack repeats louder. "Give me a location. I need to find this woman, so THINK!"

"I already told you." Max replies, tired. "It was on need to know basis and they said I didn't need to know."

Jack can feel disappointment crushing down on him, but does his best not to show it. They went through all this trouble to apprehend the man and keep him alive and now it was a dead end? If Max didn't know where they were headed after the LAMC, he is unlikely to know anything else Jack needs to find out either. Jack chances the question anyway: "What are their further plans? Were you supposed to be involved in anything else or was this it?"

"I heard rumors of other jobs, but I don't know anything about them. Hell, I wasn't even supposed to be here... But I guess they were short a man, something like that. John said I could make a nice sum of money if I helped them."

"When did this John contact you?"

"About a week ago."

"What's his last name?"

"Garant."

"How do you know him? Surely he wouldn't have just called a bum off the street for this operation. He trusts you. Have you worked with him before?"

"We worked together when we were younger, before he left for the Army."

"Can you contact him?"

"No, he contacted me."

Jack eyes Max for a while. "I don't believe you. When you weren't able to activate the timer on the canister, you _had_ to contact him somehow and tell him you're staying behind. HOW?"

"He was still here!"

"DAMMIT!" Jack yells, suddenly standing, and slamming his fist into the metal wall of the van right next to Max's head. He remains this close to Max, speaking directly to his face. "I need something from you now or I'm going to seriously lose my cool here. There must have been something, a radio, phone number, anything!"

Max just looks at Jack, dumbfounded. "Yeah well, if there is, I don't know anything about it."

Jack glares at Max, realizing he is losing this battle. He could press him, but his gut feeling is telling him that Max was really too low on the food chain to know anything. "Son of a bitch!", he utters, defeated, and sits back down on the bench. He puts his head between his hands and sighs.

**A Van**

The van Palmer, Pierce and the driver had been put in is black and has no plates. As the vehicle moves down a highway, they are still unconscious. Tied up in the back of the van, they've been laid down on the floor. While one man is in the back with them, two others are in the front seats. The rest of the attackers are following in an SUV behind this one. It is quiet, apart from the humming of the motor. The men have accomplished their task; there is not much to say.

The man in the back is closely watching their hostages. He is black, around 25 and at this time, staring at the tied up figures below, he seems to finally fully realize the extent of their crime. _One of these men is the former President_, it hits him,_ and I'm holding him hostage. This can't be good. I ain't gettin' outta this one_, he thinks. He was already out on parole, and probably in deeper trouble than he could imagine.

**LAMC / Division**

After his fruitless conversation with Max, Jack exits the CTU van and dials Michelle. _I need a fresh approach to this_, he tells himself.

"Division, Dessler."

"Michelle, it's Jack. I heard Tony's back in play?", he asks.

"He is.", she confirms, sighing slightly to herself. "You know Tony, Jack, he couldn't wait to get back to work. I couldn't stop him."

Jack smiles slightly, remembering some of the past situations with Tony. "Yeah, I can imagine... Michelle, Chloe said that you've got your people working on trying to trace Marie Warner?"

"Yeah, I've put Steve on it. Why?"

"We apprehended one of Ragen's men here on site. I talked to him and a name popped up, a John Garant. I thought maybe Tony could run a background check on him, see if he can find out anything traceable. We still need Marie if we're to stop them, the guy I talked to knew nothing else."

Michelle nods. "Alright, I'll put you through to Tony."

"Ok." Jack waits a few seconds until Michelle contacts Tony.

"Almeida.", Tony picks up.

"Tony, it's Michelle.", she says in a level voice, like he had never stopped working with CTU. "I've got Jack on the line for you."

"Alright, thanks. Put him through."

"Jack, you're on with Tony."

"Thanks, Michelle." Jack waits a beat. "Tony?", he asks sort of incredulously, like he isn't really expecting to find Tony on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I'm here. What do you need, Jack?" he asks, getting down to business, hoping that Jack is not going to question his decision like Michelle did.

"I just finished interrogating one of Ragen's men, a Max Norris, whom we'd captured inside the LAMC. He couldn't give me anything but a name, a John Garant, G-A-R-A-N-T. I'd like you to check out this Garant, see if you can find any connections, anything valuable that will help us find him. I'm sure they're on their way to meet Marie Warner, but Norris didn't know where. Division is trying to locate her, but if you find anything else, it might help. You know that finding her is our first priority right now and I think you can do this faster than anyone else on the staff.", Jack says, knowing that Tony still has his sources and ways of finding information that people like Chloe and Steve didn't have.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. It's going to take a little while to filter the name through all the databases. If he's there I'll find him."

"That's fine. Just do what you can. Chloe told me you had her send over files on Ragen, did you get anything from those?"

"Nothing yet. Right now, I'm looking at the encrypted coordinates we got from the files and trying to decrypt them through DOD. Since Ragen was ex-military it's likely he used some offbeat application of military software to encrypt these. CTU is trying to get some information on the money trails they got off the laptops. I'm hoping it will help us on locating Marie."

"Good. Stay on top of it, Tony. Norris hinted that there would be other jobs, more hits. We need to find them before they strike again."

"Yeah."

"OK, thanks. Are you alright?", the question is quick and short but Jack couldn't avoid asking it. Even if he can understand Tony's need to get back to work, he is still concerned about him, but doesn't want to make it sound like he doesn't trust him to do the job.

"Yeah, I'm OK." Tony replies, even though he's not totally sure if he believes it himself.

"OK, good.", Jack accepts, not wanting to challenge Tony. After all, they've been here before and Jack knows Tony can handle it. "I'll still be on site until we can get this situation under control. You can reach me on my cell phone. Let us know the minute you have anything, alright?", he adds, even knowing it is unnecessary to give Tony that kind of instructions. Pure habit, most likely.

"Yeah." Tony manages to keep his voice steady although he's feeling queasy because of the bloodloss. As he ends the call, he collapses into a chair and leans his head onto his hand. "Breathe, it will pass. Long breaths." he tells himself while hoping no one, especially Michelle, walks in right now.

**The kidnappers' van**

The kidnappers pull up in front of an abandoned warehouse. John pushes a button on a remote control and the door to the garage opens, allowing him to drive through and inside the building. Three armed men are waiting for them on the inside. As the van stops, its back doors are opened. No words are spoken as the young black man in the back of the vehicle first lifts Palmer's driver by the shoulders and pulls him towards the men waiting outside, who grab the driver and start carrying him towards a door. Aaron Pierce is next. As he is lifted from the floor, Aaron's eyes open slightly, but, not knowing where he is or how many men there are, he decides to play it cool and allows them to unload him off the van and carry him inside. Maybe he'll have a chance to do something later. David Palmer, like his driver, is still unconscious as he is carried off the van. Then, the doors are closed, and everyone goes inside.

A man, obviously the one in charge of the operation, is waiting on the other side of the door. "I see you made it.", he tells the man with the cut on his face. "You're not a bunch of useless greenhorns after all.", he says cynically with a grin, then turns serious again. "I want them separated. One in each room. Tie them up and watch them. I'll talk to Palmer when he wakes up."

His thugs nod wordlessly and each of their hostages are dragged to separate rooms.

**CTU**

As Chloe once again decides to check the logs of the newest in CTU's line of new recruits, since she doesn't really trust her to do her job, something in the system catches her attention. "ANNIE!", she yells, and Annie more or less jogs to Chloe's desk in response. "I thought you were supposed to monitor access to our network!"

"I'm doing it!", Annie protests.

"You're not." Chloe picks up her phone, calling Division. "Steve, it's Chloe. We had unauthorized access two hours ago, a no-name login; I'm sending the ISP to your screen. Whoever hacked in was looking for information about the LAMC, Tony Almeida and Michelle Dessler. I'll bet you your lunch it was Marie. Try and see if you can locate the computer."

"Right, I will. I've been tracking her through the subway and I got the area down to about 6 blocks. If the location of the ISP is in that sector, we'll know it was her."

"You don't have to _tell _me that, Steve, just do it.", Chloe comments, annoyed, and hangs up. Steve sighs and gets about his job.

**Division**

Michelle opens up the door to the conference room Tony's set up in and walks through. "Hey.", she says softly, a file in her hand.

Tony looks up from the from the laptop he's been typing on and smiles as he sees her enter. "Hey. What do you got?"

"Here are the casualty projections you asked to see.", she says, showing him the file. She walks to the desk and hands it to him, then stops, looking at him.

Tony takes the file from her, noticing her expression. "What's wrong?" he asks, concerned now.

She smiles at him. "Nothing..." It was like months ago, back at CTU. "How are you doing?", Michelle asks as she takes a step towards his desk and sits on it, facing him.

He lets out a small sigh, knowing that pushing her won't help. She tried to keep personal things and emotions from conflicting with work and he knew that he wasn't making it easier. She would tell him when she was ready, at home where no one would interfere.

"I'm Ok." he says with a small smile playing on his lips, trying to reassure her. "I got these from the doctor." he shows her the bottle of painkillers he got from Burke. "Things will be fine."

"That's good.", she says, hoping that he would indeed take the medication when he needed it. She looks him in the eye, speaking softly. "Tony, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to imply you weren't capable of doing your job... I was just worried about you, that's all.", she says, squeezing his hand.

"I know you are." he responds quietly. "You have nothing to be sorry for, I acted too rashly. It's just that... I need to do this." he takes her hand and caresses it. He averts his eyes from hers, looking down at their hands. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, sweetheart.", he kisses her hand.

"It's ok, we were both tense." She whispers, then bows down and buries her lips in his hair, giving him a long kiss, while she puts her other arm around him and hugs him.

Tony slowly pulls her from the desk onto his lap and into an embrace, careful not to make any quick movements that would cause his injuries to awaken. Leaning on her shoulder, he closes his eyes, whispering, "What would I do without you?", once again in his mind reaffirmed in the belief that going to prison was a small price to pay if the option was losing her.

They remain like this for a while, thankful for a few minutes alone, away from everything that was happening on the other side of the door. Then she slowly stirs and sits up straight again, looking at him with ever so slightly watery eyes.

Tony lifts his head and looks at her, seeing she's on the verge of tears. He caresses her cheek gently. "What is it?"

Michelle closes her eyes, enjoying his touch for a second or two and trying to keep her eyes dry before replying, after taking a deep breath.

"I keep thinking about Ragen and I see you broken and bruised and all I do is agonize about what he must have done to you...", she lets it all out in one breath, then adds after pausing. "You never should have gone out there, I shouldn't have let you.", she sighs, placing her hands around his neck.

Tony heaves a sigh. He takes her face between his hands and looks her in the eye. "Look, I already told you, it was _my_ decision. Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over...", he whispers.

Michelle takes his hands in her own, gently moving them from her cheeks, squeezing them. A few seconds later, she looks again at Tony and admits: "I need to know what really happened."

Letting go of her hands, Tony looks away for a second. He doesn't really want to tell her all the details and hurt her more but he cannot deny her request either. "Are you sure you want to know?", he asks, but then realizes: "You'll find out from the debriefs anyway." _without the ugliest details,_ he adds in his mind.

"Yes", she answers softly, glad to see him willing to talk. Yes, she had talked to Jack, but hearing it first hand from Tony would make all the difference. Maybe then she would be able to stop thinking about it all the time. She knew that putting him through all that again won't be easy on him either but she was hoping it would help them both to cope with it.

"Alright." he swallows hard and closes his eyes, beginning to tell of the events.

"You know that Jack had been captured and they were questioning him, right?... Hearing his screams echo through the compound... He is my friend and there's nothing I can do to make them stop, or it'll blow the whole mission.", he begins, not very eloquently, his thoughts not quite ordered yet and not quite ready to be spoken aloud. Michelle can feel the fight inside Tony's heart and as he puts his hands into her lap, she rests her right hand on top of his. It seems as if her touch helped because Tony takes a breath and his speech becomes a little more coherent.

"I was able to have a moment alone with him and saw that he was doing okay, considering the circumstances. I loosened the ropes he was tied with and tried to talk to him about getting him out, but you know Jack, he was adamant. To him the mission always comes first, always.", he sighs, pausing again. "I broke the transponder in my watch to let CTU know something was wrong. I had to leave Jack in the room again, so that Ragen and his men wouldn't get suspicious. A while later I heard that some operation had been successful. It turned out to be Marie Warner's break-out... And after that everything went to hell.", he pauses, taking a breath carefully, as if gathering strength to go on.

Michelle sat there wordlessly, caressing his hand, her eyes not really focusing on anything, just staring at something invisible in the distance. When Tony pauses, she looks at him again and utters: "Marie blew your cover..."

Tony nods. "Yeah. When she came in to the room we were in, she instantly recognized both of us.", Tony confirms and then sinks into his thoughts for a long while. It is obvious he is struggling with himself to make the words come out. Michelle waits, not pushing him.

"Ragen... he was about to force me to... I... I can't." Tony whispers and leans into his hands, not wanting to deal with the thought of killing his friend. He had dealt with death and killed people while in the Marines, but taking the life of the man he owed so much to, a trusted friend... It was one of the things he didn't want to deal with, wanting to lock them up in the deep, dark corner of his mind and just forget them.

Seeing how incredibly hard this was on him, Michelle decides to intervene. "Shhhhhh...", she embraces him and kisses his cheek, then his nose, and whispers soothingly to his ear as their foreheads touch. "Tony, I love you. Whatever happened out there, whatever you did or didn't do will never change that. You're alright, Jack's alright, we can talk about this another time, when you're ready." Suddenly, she realizes just how selfish it was of her to make him talk about this right now. She kisses him again, not letting go of him. "I love you, don't you forget that." _We'll get through this together, Tony, I promise_, she thinks._ Prison couldn't break you, Ragen couldn't break you and this won't break you either. We can do this._

"I know." Tony whispers._  
_

**The kidnappers' warehouse**

The man in charge comes into the room where Palmer is slowly regaining consciousness, securely tied to a chair, .

"Ahh, Mr. President, I see you are back among us.", he states calmly.

Fighting to clear his head from the remainder of the knock-out gas, Palmer forces himself to open his eyes, and lifts his head to look at the man above him. "What do you want?", he hears himself saying, and it sounds like a distant voice talking to him instead.

"I want you to call Jack Bauer." his captor says, unnervingly calm.

"Why?", Palmer asks and at that moment realizes that he has seen the face in front of him before. Not in person, but on the photograph Wayne had faxed him. He was face to face with Morgan, Sherry's ex lover.

"That is something you do not need to know. Let me just say that I need to see him.", Morgan states neutrally.

"So you want me to what, call him up and say an old friend wants to invite him over for a cup of coffee? Why don't you do that yourself?", Palmer scoffs.

"You do not wish to anger me, Mr. President. I want you to set up a meeting with Bauer.", Morgan answers calmly but menacingly.

"You want me to lure him into a trap?" He always hated people beating about the bush and this time is no different.

"If that's the way you see it, yes. We have some unfinished business. Now, call him!" Morgan says, raising his voice. He uncuffs one of Palmer's hands, handing him a cell phone.

"No." Palmer says firmly, not reaching for the phone. "I _will not_ condemn Jack Bauer to death just because you call the shots."

Morgan stares Palmer down for several seconds, seconds in which none of the men blinks. "Fine, have it your way.", he then says, turning away. "You will call him, sooner or later." He reaches for a two-way and talking into it. "Bring him in.", he orders.

_Bring whom in?_ Palmer is suddenly alert and visibly worried. _Who else do they have here?_

Morgan's associates shove a man into the room and cuff him into one of the beams. Palmer recognizes Paul, his driver. Palmer looks him in the eye as Paul is cuffed without resisting. He sees fear, but also determination.

"So, will you call Bauer or do we have to do this the hard way?", Morgan states, not hiding the implication of the words.

Palmer doesn't take his eyes off Paul, who slightly shakes his head at the former President; his face is calm and composed, as if to tell Palmer not to comply with the order.

David does not answer the question put out to him.

**Division**

Tony stays in Michelle's embrace, trying to get his breathing under control, to get his mind under control again. His thoughts were heading back to a place where he did not want to go. He looks at her, thanking her silently. He then takes another deep breath. "I promised I'd tell you what happened and I will tell you what I can."

He gently moves her hands from his neck, kissing each of them individually as he does so. He somehow pulls himself together and continues. "Jack saved my life, more than once. Ragen was about to shoot me right after my cover was blown but Jack intervened. After Jack's plan had failed, Ragen tried to get me to tell him who else knew about the op besides Jack."

Michelle swallowed, knowing all too well how terrorists try to make people talk; Jack had hinted at it already. Not willing to force Tony into describing details, suddenly very aware that she wouldn't be ready to hear them at this point either, she asked: "So how did you get out?", effectively changing the subject.

"Jack was able to take Ragen out and we apprehended Marie. After that we headed to the other end of the complex to get out. We went through a doorway and suddenly I felt like someone had hit me with a hot poker. Falling onto the ground I could hear Jack shout something over the gunshots. I realized I was exposed and had to get away, but the pain kept me from getting up or calling out for Jack...", he takes a breath before continuing. "Lying there, feeling the warm blood flow through my fingers, I was sure that that was it. I was going to bleed to death on the cold floor of this compound, not having a chance to see you again... I heard the gunfire die down and then Jack was there, seeing if I was still alive. I felt so tired, just wanting to sleep." He breathes in deeply before finishing his story. "After that it's all hazy."

When the sound of Tony's voice subsides, a rebellious tear that Michelle's tried to keep inside her eye, frees itself and flows down her cheek and she wipes it away instantly. She knew Tony'd been shot, she, too, thought he wouldn't come back alive from that mission, not after Jack had called her from the compound.

"Jack stayed with you until CTU medical got there. They put you on a chopper and brought you here", she tells him, keeping her voice as steady as she can, not wanting to break out in tears, aware of the need to at least try and remain rational. "I was so thankful to each and every one of them for keeping you alive. I didn't think you'd make it. No-one did." She forces a smile onto her lips and wipes away the straying tear. "But you did... You did, sweetheart."

"Yeah.", he whispers weakly, then hugs her once again, just taking everything in. He had been lucky. Kissing her forehead, an attempt at a smile fails somewhat as he says: "You better get back there before they come looking for you with security. I'll be right here." Yes, he had been lucky to be with her again.

She nods, knowing he is right. Sitting with him here, she had forgotten where they were, that there was a job to be done. "Alright," she says and stands up, taking a long breath. She smiles again at him, this time the smile crosses her lips somewhat more easily. Talking had indeed helped a little. "You tell me if you need anything, I'll be on the floor."

Tony nods. "Yeah."

Michelle then leaves the room, closes the door behind her and leans her back on the wall, allowing herself a moment to regain her composure. The opposite is the case at first as her eyes water again and she frowns at herself for letting the teardrops obey gravitation again and dabs at her eyes with a kleenex. Several moments later, knowing she may be needed on the floor, she forces herself to move, taking a couple of deep breaths before walking away.

**The warehouse**

One of Morgan's thugs grabs the driver's wrist and twists it so that it breaks with an audible crack, causing the agent to scream in pain.

"This is just the beginning." Morgan remarks, turning to Palmer. "Call Jack Bauer now and save us both from a lot of things. That's all you need to do."

Palmer closes his eyes tightly to the scene before him. _Fine, David, so you don't want to subject Paul to any more pain, but how do you justify agreeing to killing Jack? As sorry as you are about him and you'd like to save him, Paul most certainly isn't meant to leave here alive, whereas Jack could be kept away from all this if you don't give in._

"Still not talking, I see." Morgan nods at his henchmen. One of them pulls out a pistol. Slowly, watching Palmer as he does so, he rests the gun on Paul's knee and shoots him in a knee cap. As Paul howls in pain and is about to sag down, the others drag him back up to a standing position. Paul's scream is ear-piercing as the blood runs freely down his leg and his legs start shaking, threatening to fail him.

Morgan gives another nod and his man prepares to fire a shot to Paul's shoulder.

"No! Stop!", Palmer yells. He can't do this. "Stop.", he says again, shaking his head, angry at the men in front of him, angry at himself, half disbelieving the fact he's about to give in to another terrorist.

"Mr. President!", Paul protests, albeit weakly, his strength failing him.

Just to make sure, the gunman rests his pistol on the agent's shoulder.

"DON'T! I'll do it.", Palmer utters the last words almost inaudibly.

"Good." Morgan hands him the cell phone again and this time, Palmer reaches for it, reluctantly. "Call Bauer.", Morgan repeats his instructions.

"What do you want me to say to him?"

"There's a large parking lot at the corner of Yucca and Vine in West Hollywood. Tell him to meet you there in half an hour. Tell him to come alone. We'll take care of the rest."

"Alright."

**Division**

"Son of a bitch, I found her.", Steve mutters under his breath. He picks up the phone to call Michelle, but then sees her walk to the bullpen and hangs up. "Michelle, we've just located Marie Warner.", he tells her.

"How?", she asks, joining him at his desk.

"Chloe discovered Marie had hacked into CTU's network and had been searching for files. I determined the location of the computer through the ISP and compared it with the area I got narrowed down to a few blocks with the search I was running . The computer the hacker was using was within these 6 blocks, this must be her. She was looking for information concerning Ragen's operations and agents involved in the investigation."

"Could she be relaying the signal through a switching node?"

"No, we'd notice. The new software we got a couple of months ago is working. She can't fool us."

"Alright, well done. Have you contacted the field teams yet?"

"No, I just discovered this. Who do you want me to call?"

"I'll contact Jack. Baker's team is still busy dealing with the LAMC situation, I don't think they can leave now.", she says, picking up the phone on Steve's desk. Dialing Jack's number, she finds it busy. "I'll try again from upstairs.", she tells Steve and walks swiftly to her office. "Thanks Steve, great work."

**LAMC / undisclosed location**

Palmer had called Jack's cell phone and Jack had picked up. The former President sits in the chair, pressing his lips together in anger. His angry eyes are fixed upon Morgan's face. Behind Morgan, Paul's bleeding figure fills the rest of Palmer's field of vision; the thug's gunbarrel is still resting on Paul's shoulder, just in case.

"Bauer.", Jack says into the phone. There is silence on the other end. "This is Jack Bauer. Who is there?", Jack repeats louder and is about to hang up when he hears a sound on the other end of the line and listens in.

**Division**

In her office, Michelle again tries Jack's number, but when it is still busy, she hangs up and gets her gun and jacket, then goes down the stairs and back to Steve.

**LAMC / undisclosed location**

"Is anyone there?", Jack repeats.

David sighs inwardly, closing his eyes for a second before forcing himself to speak. "Jack, it's David Palmer."

"Sir, is everything alright?", Jack asks, instantly alarmed at Palmer's tone.

"Not exactly. Since we last spoke I've been trying to pursue a lead on my own and I've stumbled onto something that you should see for yourself."

"Where are you, Sir?"

"Meet me at the corner of Yucca and Vine in West Hollywood in 30 minutes. There's a large parking lot outside the building. I will be waiting for you there."

"Sir, have you left your house?"

"The Secret Service didn't think it safe enough there, Jack." He sighs audibly, then continues. "Jack, I feel like the sky is falling.", he speaks slowly as he utters the last words.

At hearing this, Jack's eyes change expression as he pauses for a couple of seconds before replying: "I understand Sir. I will meet you there.", he replies calmly now.

"Thank you Jack."

"Thank you, Sir."

Palmer hangs up and glares at Morgan. "Alright. Now what?"

"Now we move.", Morgan replies. "You are coming with us, Mr. President." He motions to his men to cuff and blindfold Palmer, then turns to Paul: "You've been very useful." and shoots him twice in the head.

"NOOOO!", Palmer yells, trying to fight off the men who are about to cuff him, but they succeed in restraining him and he is forced out of the room.

As they lead him out, he feels completely defeated. _Paul is dead and you've betrayed the man to whom you owe more than you're indebted to anyone else. Great David, just great. Your only hope is that Jack will figure out this is a trap before it's too late. He'll forgive you for luring him into it, he'll understand you had no choice. But you better hope he survives because you know you couldn't live with yourself if he died now._

**Division**

"Steve, give me Marie's location.", Michelle tells him as she is at his desk.

"You're not planning on going after her yourself, alone, are you?"

"I have to. I'll be fine. No-one else can do it right now, so just give me the location. Cover for me while I'm gone, alright? Don't tell Tony. He'd be worried to death and he doesn't need that now."

"As you wish. But please watch yourself.", Steve says worriedly, while handing her the address he traced Marie's location to.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks." Michelle checks that her gun is loaded and ready and with that, leaves Division.


	19. Playing with Fire

**Division**

Michelle is already at the Division parking lot, walking fast towards her car, a silver Mercedes Benz SUV in the parking space 11. She glances behind her for a moment, then unlocks it remotely and climbs in. Pushing the key to the ignition switch, she halts, the key still in her hand, as a thought crosses her mind: _You're not Jack Bauer, Michelle. How are you going to do this without backup?_

Her eyes gazing at something in the distance, she gives the thought a few seconds to register. Somehow, as she sits there in the darkness, her mind drifts to her brother Danny. When she started working at CTU LA, he had made her promise him that she would always do her best to protect him and his family, knowing that she would always be among the first people to find out about any dangers threatening the city.

She felt like she had failed Danny that day almost four years ago, when the nuclear bomb went off and he broke under pressure and fear; when she didn't tell him about the bomb. She had been doing her job, and she knew there were lots of things that had to be kept under wraps, and that she was in fact right not to tell him; she couldn't risk the word getting out. But it was after that day that she promised to herself to do what she could to protect them if such a threat surfaced again. And Marie Warner controlling a gang in possession of nerve gas was definitely a threat. _You're just gonna have to. There's no-one else_. she tells herself.

Her eyes find their focus again as her back straightens in the seat. She starts the engine and drives off.

**LAMC / CTU**

After Palmer hangs up, Jack immediately calls CTU. While waiting for the line to pick up, he glances around for Tom Baker. He doesn't see him immediately, but knows that he will need him very soon.

"O'Brien.", Chloe's hectic voice answers and Jack turns his attention to the phone call.

"Chloe! Do we have satellite coverage over David Palmer's house?" he asks, while starting to walk.

"I don't know. Let me check." She hooks onto the sat system and types in the coordinates. "No, not right now. I need to reposition the satellite, Jack."

"Then do it.", Jack says nervously, while heading towards his SUV. His gut feeling has never failed him and he is seriously doubting that this will be the first time.

"All right, I'm doing it. Has anything happened?", she asks while changing the necessary settings on the sat coverage.

"That's what I need you to find out. I think something's wrong."

"Alright, just a minute. Hold on."

Jack unlocks his vehicle and opens the door, but remains standing in front of it while waiting for Chloe's input. _Come on, Chloe, find it._

**Kidnappers' location**

The men lead Palmer through half-lit empty hallways and he has given up the resisting, knowing there was nothing he could do at this point. Morgan follows them a few steps behind, satisfied with how his operation is proceeding so far. Palmer hears another door open behind them and a few additional footsteps but cannot see who joined them.

The door to the garage opens and the group walks through. The bright neon light is almost blinding to the eyes that had gotten used to the dim light inside the halls and rooms of the rest of the building. Among the vehicles parked inside, there are two vans, plain black, no writing on the sides, and neither of them has number plates. Palmer realizes he must have been brought to the site in one of them and he frowns as he recalls the scene of his abduction.

The driver is already inside the vehicle and as he sees his collegues enter the garage, he jumps out of the van and opens the side door to reveal three seats in the middle of the van and two in the back, and Palmer is shoved into one of the middle seats. His hands remain cuffed behind his back and his eyes stare straight ahead, actively avoiding looking at any of his captors. One of the men straps him down with the seatbelt, securing him.

Morgan has patiently been watching the procedure. When Palmer is securely in his seat, Morgan approaches. "Ok, Mr. President, I hope you are reasonably comfortable here. Now, remember, _I want_ Jack Bauer. And I won't scare away from shooting at you if you try anything, understood?"

Palmer doesn't say a word, just keeps on staring at the brightly lit wall some 30 feet ahead of him. Morgan gets even closer to him, leans over and stands just inches in front of him. "Did you understand me, _Mr. President_?", he repeats, saying the last words in a mocking tone.

Palmer slowly turns his head towards Morgan, narrowing his eyes somewhat. "YES." he replies pointedly.

Morgan returns the stare, but replies very nonchalantly: "Good. Now... " Morgan motions to his men, who come closer and push Aaron Pierce into the van next to Palmer. "To ensure you will do as told, we will bring Mr. Pierce with us as well. I am sure you will not sacrifice his life that lightly."

Morgan slams the side door closed, then climbs into the passenger seat. Two more men climb in the back of the van, behind David and Aaron and the van drives off, followed by the other van with the rest of the gang inside.

**LAMC / CTU**

Finally, Jack hears a sound on the other end of the line, as Chloe gets back on. "All right, Jack, I've got it." she informs him. She pulls up the footage, but for a moment doesn't believe her own eyes as she zooms in on the location. For security reasons, the area in front of Palmer's house is well lit and she has no trouble comprehending the situation. "Gosh, Jack, there must have been a shootout outside the house, the Secret Service agents are all dead. I'm counting 10 bodies. The door to the house is wide open.", she informs him, speaking fast. As she looks up from the screen, she sees Erin Driscoll come down the stairs and walk toward her desk. _Great, where has she been all this time? Perfect timing, as ever. __  
_  
"Can you get infrared on the house?"

"Yeah, just a sec... Nothing, there's no-one in the house, Jack."

_Son of a bitch, I knew it!_ Jack thinks and climbs inside his SUV, closing the door. "Dammit. He's been kidnapped. Alright, listen Chloe, I need you to assemble a field team immediately. I got a call from Palmer a few minutes ago, he asked to meet me at a parking lot at the corner of Yucca and Vine in 25 minutes. I want Baker and at least 8 more men, if they're still inside the building, I need them out. I want them at the location before Palmer gets there. Where is Tony? I need him to run tactical for me."

"Jack it's Erin. Why do you need a field team? Chloe doesn't authorize that, I do."

"Listen Erin, I don't have time for any bureaucratic squabbling right now.", Jack retorts. "David Palmer has been kidnapped, his Secret Service protection is down. The men who were after me and him this morning must have gotten to him since we last spoke. I got a call from him and I need my back covered before I go in there."

In the meantime, Chloe picks up the phone, ignoring Driscoll's presence, and contacts Tony. After a brief word exchange, she adds him to the conference call. Tony puts the call on speaker and stands up, waiting to hear the conversation.

"Alright, Jack. You have it your way. But if things go wrong, you're on your own.", Erin replies, if only to cover _her_ back.

Tony is standing by the conference table, leaning his palms on the heavy mahogany tabletop while listening attentively.

Jack shakes his head, but not in surprise. "Fine. Find Tony."

"I'm here Jack. You sure it's a trap?",

"Yes. Palmer used the phrase '_the sky is falling'_." Jack says nothing more, knowing that Tony will understand.

Cold shivers run down Tony's spine. Only one word flashes in front of his eyes: _Saunders._ "Palmer's being held hostage." he replies without hesitation.

Jack nods. "Exactly. Tony, I need your help on this. Coordinate with Chloe and the LAPD. I can't have them or anyone else blowing this mission. No uniforms. Our teams must remain undetectable unless something happens to me."

"You got it Jack."

Chloe interrupts: "Jack, how do you wanna play this?"

"I don't know yet. We'll see what these people want first. I might be able to trade myself for Palmer. If not, they'll want both of us dead and the field teams will have to apprehend Palmer's captors and bring them to justice."

Tony nods, somewhat solemnly. "Let's hope it doesn't get to that, Jack."

"Yeah." There is an awkward silence before Jack speaks again "Alright, let's make sure this works.", then everyone again nods to themselves. Jack disconnects his side of the phone call and starts the engine.

**CTU**

When Jack hangs up, Erin speaks to Tony and Chloe. "Give Jack what he needs and make sure he doesn't screw up. If we lose a President on our watch, they'll pin the blame on all of us." She pauses although she doesn't expect an answer.

_Worried about your career, are you Erin? Hopefully she won't interfere with this_, Tony ponders.

"Chloe, where are the field teams?", Erin asks.

"They're still at the LAMC, but a chopper left the CTU a few minutes ago to pick them up."

"Chloe, patch me through to Tom Baker's comm.", Tony tells her.

"You got it.", Chloe answers.

Chloe quickly establishes connection with Baker. "Baker, it's Chloe, do you copy?"

"Yes, I copy."

"Hold on, I'll put you through to Tony. Tony, you're on."

"Tom, I don't know if you've already heard, but someone has President Palmer hostage and they want Jack to meet them in less than 30 minutes. Jack is expecting to meet Palmer and his captors at the corner of Yucca and Vine. I need you to infill your team a couple of blocks away and proceed to the site on foot. We don't need any extra attention with the chopper."

"Copy that, Tony." Tom, who has just climbed into the chopper, turns to the pilot and gives the order. "Matt, we have a new mission objective. Get us a couple of blocks away from the intersection of Yucca and Vine."

"Roger that."

Baker then speaks to Tony again. "Tony, we're on our way. How do you want us to proceed?"

"Because this is going to be right by a busy intersection and more or less in the open, it's not going to be easy. It is a dark night though, so it should be to our advantage. We're going to have plainclothes LAPD units on standby as a backup a block away, but you need to make sure your teams stay invisible until told. If the captors suspect anything, this could end badly."

Tony has pulled up footage of the location and its surroundings and is looking at it while talking to Tom. "It's a large parking lot with an entrance to an underground garage so you can position some of your men by the slide. The building at the site is large, you won't be able to secure the entire area, but try to get as good a view of the surroundings as possible. The rest of the lot is open so I'll leave the final positioning to you since you'll have a better overview of the situation on site. Just make sure you're not spotted and minimize possible collateral damage. We can't secure the area or this will be exposed. I'll send a couple of images to your PDA."

"Alright, Tony, thanks. I'll report our final positions to you when we're ready." He takes his PDA in his hand, waiting to receive the files. "What are the orders concerning Jack and Palmer?"

"Our main objective is to save Palmer. Jack is going to try and make a trade. If it is successful, you will not interfere." _What the hell are you thinking Jack? _Tony sighs inwardly, but continues briefing Baker. "But if it turns out this is only a ploy to get Palmer and Jack killed and a firefight breaks out, the orders are to get Palmer out and apprehend the hostiles if possible. Palmer is the priority." he repeat, making sure he is not misunderstood but in his mind, his frustration at Jack's plan is gaining strength._ Damn it, Jack. We barely got out of the compound alive, both of us. And now you're gonna trade your own life for Palmer's, get yourself killed. Why in the hell are you doing this? You still have Kim to think about. She doesn't deserve to lose both of her parents. Damn you, Jack_, he sighs.

"Understood.", Baker confirms. "Alright, I've got the footage. I'll get back to you."

"Alright." Tony disconnects.

In the meantime, Jack hastily left the LAMC area and headed West on Temple Street. The traffic is not a problem, since it's past 3 a.m. He follows Temple Street to the Silver Lake Boulevard, then from there, heads onto the 101, continuing West towards the location.

**LA Federal**

Hammond walks into the interrogation room again, where the are now holding another one of Ragen's captured men. _Let's see if this one will talk. _he thinks to himself, eyeing the prisoner. The young man sitting by the table, Robert Louden, seems pensive and resigned. His hands are cuffed in front of him, and he is keeping them on the table, staring at his fingers, apparently engaged in inspecting some fascinating small piece of dirt under his fingernail. He doesn't lift his head as the door opens, certain it would be just another cop or a Fed wanting to talk to him, in any case no-one important or worth dignifying with a look.

Hammond motions for the guard to go outside and then sits down opposite the man, just staring at him.

From his perspective, somewhere behind his hands and the edge of the table, Louden sees Hammond's grey suit and a blood red tie. He still doesn't feel like talking but he can feel the piercing eyes on him. Suddenly, he speaks: "You got no right to keep me here like this. I want my lawyer." Louden complains.

Hammond leans back in the chair. "Actually we can. The Patriot Act gives us the authority to do that. We can have you detained for an unspecified amount of time... You're in a lot of trouble, son." Hammond says, almost sounding paternal. "If you cooperate with us, you can help yourself.", he offers.

Not really listening or hearing much of Hammond's words, Louden continues: "It wasn't supposed to go like this.", he shakes his head, still keeping his head low. "We were supposed to succeed and change America for the better and get rid of the corrupt government who has sold us out to other countries. To give America back to the people."

"The rest of your compatriots are already in custody or about to be apprehended." Hammond presses, uninterested in the man's justifications. "But we need to know what else you have planned and how deeply people were involved. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It is up to you.", Hammond says, standing up.

"I don't know anything big, just what has happened so far and that more is planned." Louden responds.

**Michelle's car**

Heading towards East L.A, Michelle begins to fully realize what she is getting herself into. _You're about to face a ruthless terrorist all by yourself; one who hasn't hesitated to kill her fiancee, who would have killed her own father and sister if she'd had to. One who was willing to kill millions deploying a nuke on US soil; who was about to kill Tony and Jack just hours ago. And now you're going to take her down alone? Get real, Michelle!_, she reprimands herself, and nervously brushes a strand of hair from her face. _But then again, I might just get lucky._, she thinks and glances at the passenger's seat, as if to make sure her weapon is still there. Satisfied, she grabs the steering wheel with both hands again and continues driving.

**LA Federal**

"How about Marie Warner and James Smith, did they know?", Hammond asks, walking away from the table, his back turned to Louden.

Louden for the first time raises his head and his eyes, looking at Hammond over his shoulder. "Heh, that Warner woman sure seemed to know. She freaked me out. A callous woman. Wasn't that Smith guy a Fed? Why you asking about him, anyway?", he questions.

Hammond curtly replies: "He is not a federal agent. That's all you need to know."

_I'm not that stupid_, Louden thinks, looking at Hammond._ I saw Jennie attack them two scumbags, the other guy was definitely a Fed and the Smith guy was helping him. Besides, they killed Jennie._ Maybe they had a bone to pick. This is his chance to get even.

"Oh yeah, he knew. He and Ragen discussed about the ops in private many times.", he replies, his eyes still on Hammond who turns back instantly after hearing this reply and walks back to the table.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Hammond asks, now towering over Louden.

"Yeah, you said I could cut myself a deal if I helped you. I got no reason to lie.", Louden says, grinning.

"Yes, I did say that... Did you see Smith do anything or talk to someone else beside Ragen?"

"Well..." Louden smiles at Hammond and leans back in the chair, "I could tell you that. But I want something in return."

"You are in no position to be making demands. Either you tell me now or you you'll find yourself in a position ten times worse.", he threatens.

"I see this differently. Either I get immunity or you don't get your proof.", Louden remains firm. "I assume you want to prove your case, don't you? Come on, I'm a small fish, you want the big guys. I'm going to assume you want this information quickly, so I'll take your word for it, if we agree."

"If this turns out to be correct, I'll talk to the federal prosecutor on your behalf. You can get a lesser sentence.", Hammond agrees. "That is all I will agree to."

"No. I want full pardon."

Hammond just stands there looking at him, and Louden bit by bit realizes that he has to agree to Hammond's terms, although it won't allow him to go free, even if only to get that Smith guy in trouble.

**Marie's location**

Michelle circles around the building once, as if in search of a parking space. As she does so, she looks at the windows of the building. The blinds are closed in all apartments but one, on the third floor. For some reason she can't really explain, she feels that must be where Marie is and decides to take the chance. She parks the car to the side of the building. Putting on her jacket, she removes a paper shopping bag out of the glove compartment. Taking a sweater from the back seat, she shoves it into the bag and then puts her gun in the bag too, covering it with the sweater's sleeves. She then leaves the car nonchalantly, locks it and walks to the front entrance of the building, like she belongs there.

She notices a man in the entrance hall, reading a paper. His jacket is far too thick for the season and there's a bulge on one side of it. _One of Marie's thugs, for sure_, she says to herself. The man raises his eyes from the paper as she passes him by, but she doesn't look at him, heading straight for the elevator. She pushes the button to the fourth floor and closes her eyes as the elevator doors shut, resting her head against a wall._ Alright, you're in. Now just keep your cool somehow. It'll be okay._

**LA Federal**

Frustrated, Louden speaks again. "Fine... Smith was the one overseeing the attack on Camp Pendleton. He was with Ragen all the time and knew every detail of the plan. Ragen even let him control the operation for a while, alone in the OC. He never relinquished control to anyone else before today."

"Smith was actually in charge of the operation!", Hammond exclaims.

"As far as I can tell, he was definitely involved in it.", Louden replies nonchalantly.

Hammond glares at the prisoner for a while before replying. "Okay. I will talk to the prosecutor. Thank you." _Now I have proof, Almeida was involved_, he thinks, satisfied.

**Marie's location**

From the staircase, Michelle glances down at the floor below her. Two men are standing in the hall, patrolling it. _This must be it. Now, all you need to do is to move them away from there. Easy,_ she mocks herself. _What the hell was I thinking coming here alone?_, she sighs, but knows that there's no way back now that she's come this far.

She glances around, thinking about a way to distract the men. She takes off her shoes so as not to make any unnecessary sounds. There is a door leading to the fire escape stairs and she opens it very slowly and quietly and looks out. Luckily, the door doesn't squeak as she moves it. An old granite ashtray is lying out there on the stairs. _Teenagers smoking. Never thought I'd be grateful to them_, she thinks as she picks it up. Stepping out onto the metal grid, she aims at the staircase window below her and throws the ashtray hard against the window pane which shatters. Both men immediately run down the stairs to see what caused the sound. Using the opportunity, Michelle finds herself in front of the door they were guarding within seconds, her bare feet almost inaudible on the steps compared to the two men in their heavy boots.

Hearing sounds coming from the hallway, Marie stops typing at the computer and listens intently. _What's going on? John's men are supposed to be outside._ She takes her pistol from the desk and starts to go to the door. _Did I lock that door?_ she thinks, a moment of doubt crossing her mind. _Yes, yes you did_, she remembers.

She goes to the door, unlocking it quietly.

From the faintly lit hallway, Michelle notices noise at the door, like a key turning. Breathing shallowly, she flattens herself against the wall by the door. Her pulse is so fast she is feeling the heartbeat in her throat. _Calm down, Michelle. You can't blow this_, she tells herself inwardly. She had managed to go past Marie's men but now she knows she has to be careful not to make a sound that will call them onto the plan. Keeping the gun firmly in her right hand, she places her left hand on the doorknob, waiting for the door to move.

After waiting for a few seconds and listening again, Marie decides to open the door. She pushes it, her intention to turn to the opposite direction from it. Something is resisting.

Michelle doesn't waste a split second as she feels pressure on the door and pulls it open, sending her right arm into the room first. She hits Marie's chin with the hand holding the gun and then pushes her back into the room. Gun still in position, she reaches out to close the door behind her.

Momentarily stunned from the blow to her chin, Marie stumbles back a few steps but is able to maintain her footing and grip on her weapon. She raises her gun towards Michelle, while touching her chin with her other hand. She has no cut in her skin but she can feel the metallic taste of blood in her mouth where she bit her tongue. "Well, looks like you found me.", she says almost innocently to Michelle while spitting out the blood.

"No smart talk.", Michelle says sternly. "I need you to put down your weapon and push it over to me.", she continues, even knowing it won't be that easy. Her heart is racing now, but she is doing her best not to show it.

"I'm afraid it's not possible." Marie replies, raising her eyes to meet her opponent's. Looking at Michelle's features for a second longer, Marie realizes who she's talking to. "Oh, I think I know you." she says, a devilish look evident on her face. "I do believe I met someone you know, earlier today." she touts Michelle. "And I got away. Did those two survive, or are you a widow already?" she asks, a vicious gleam in her eyes.

"Tony died." Michelle lies, as she decides to play the part of the vengeful widow. "I despise you but if you help us, I won't kill you. Put that gun away. You're not going anywhere from here, CTU knows where I am and back up will be here any minute.", she bluffs. "It's over. I need to know what other targets your group has got planned so we can stop them."

"Such is life, we all have to pay sometime. Maybe _you_ won't kill me, but later they will. Do you really think I will tell you anything? What do I have to lose, huh? Why would I tell you if there's nothing in this for me? Hah, seeing Kate or my father, you'll probably say next. They are no longer my family." she says, reaffirming her grip on the pistol. "This country deserves what is coming to it. We may have failed before but not now. And I'm sorry Michelle, but I can't hear any of your back up teams. So what's to stop me from shooting you?" she says, cocking the hammer.

_Still as brainwashed as years ago_, Michelle thinks. "You'll never see your sister or your father if you don't want to. I can promise you freedom. That's what you want, isn't it? Full pardon, no small print." She actually shudders at the thought but continues. "Whatever you think of this country, these innocent people don't need to die. Whatever you think the government is doing, the inhabitants of this city have nothing to do with it. Let go, Marie.", she tries to reason with the maniac. "Let go, and start a new life somewhere else." _Far away from here._

"Innocent people have suffered around the world because of the U.S. Now it's time for them to taste their own medicine. It's unfortunate that innocents have to suffer, like poor Reza did. But it's a necessity for them to suffer so the people see how things really are."

_You're absolutely insane_, Michelle thinks, but says nothing.

**Vicinity of the Yucca and Vine parking lot**

Jack is still driving in his SUV, and approaching the exchange point. He exited highway 101 and is using small backstreets to get to the location now, so as to note the surroundings of the parking lot but not attract much attention. _Palmer won't be alone. There's no doubt that Dan Morgan is the one behind this, he got to Palmer's house and now he's using him to get to me; like he used me this morning to try to get to Palmer. He wants nothing from us but our deaths.He's still bitter about Sherry. The question is whether he'll actually be there or not. I can only try to negotiate if he shows up, otherwise they will just take both of us back to wherever he is and it will make things much more complicated. Alternatively, they will kill us on the spot._

He makes another turn and ahead of him, sees his destination. _Making the exchange work might not be that easy. If it fails, we both die. If it works... If it works, this will probably be the last day of my life_, he concludes. _I just hope Kim will understand I had no choice. Heh, she may even be proud of me a little when the pain subdues_, he tells himself, a tiny smile touching the corners of his lips. He thinks about calling her for a second but soon dismisses the thought. _It's past 3 and she deserves some sleep. Tomorrow might be a hard day for her._

**Marie's hideout**

Marie grins at Michelle. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you expose our operation, we'll be out of here in minutes." Marie comments, starting to squeeze the trigger, enjoying the power. Michelle finds herself attentively staring at the barrel in front of her, her mind working vigorously to find a way out. Suddenly, Marie's cell phone rings, vibrating on the table. Despite her cautious nature and her ability to keep her concentration focused, the sound momentarily distracts her so that she eases the pressure on the trigger, just for a split second averting her eyes from Michelle.

Michelle uses her chance and fires her gun, hitting Marie in the shoulder, causing her to drop her pistol. As Marie grabs her shoulder and falls to the floor, Michelle kicks the weapon away from Marie and moves behind her. She kneels behind her, putting her left hand firmly over Marie's mouth, expecting the men to come in from the hall any moment. And indeed, having heard the commotion, they come running from the floor below and go towards Marie's 'office'.

Michelle hears the footsteps coming closer and as the door opens she fires two shots without a warning, hitting and killing the man who was first to enter. The other man ducks behind the wall, sure it's not Marie shooting at them. He tries to peer into the room but is greeted by another shot. "Give it up, there's nowhere to go!" he yells.

"If you come any closer, I'll kill her!", Michelle shouts back. "Then you won't be defending anybody! I'll kill her!" Marie tries to move, but Michelle deals her a blow to the head and Marie stays put.

"Go ahead, but then you won't be leaving either. You can't stop us. Put the weapon down and this will end quickly."

Michelle fires another round to the door. The bullet pierces a hole in the wood. "You're wrong. We have stopped you." She moves to the wall next to the door, glaring at Marie, hoping she'll stay quiet.

"She's behind the wall! Kill her!" Marie yells to the man.

"Shut up!", Michelle hisses at Marie. A shot comes from the hall and the bullet lands about knee-high in the wall opposite the door, creating a hole in the door at about the same height. Thinking quickly, Michelle infers from the trajectory that the man is crouching somewhere in front of the door. She stands up and holds her breath as she fires a couple of shots through the door, aiming low, then pushes the door open. As the door opens, a motionless, bleeding figure is all that's left of the shooter.

Michelle then looks at Marie with anger in her eyes. "Lay down on your stomach. Hands on your head. I came here to arrest you and that's what I intend to do.", she says, pushing a stray curl from her eyes with one hand, and aiming the weapon at Marie with the other.

When Michelle was at the door Marie had inched her way closer to the pistol on the floor. She looks at Michelle and starts to move as if she was about to comply, but then dives for the weapon on the floor.

"No, you don't.", Michelle mutters. Before Marie can turn towards her and shoot, Michelle fires a shot to Marie's head and the terrorist's body slumps motionless to the floor.

**LA Federal**

Hammond is ready to leave the prison now. He collects his things from the sign-in window and thanks the warden for letting him speak to the prisoners.

"Did you get the information you were looking for?", the warden asks him.

"Yes, I did, thank you."

"Anything else we can do for you?"

"Yes, there is.", he replies, while signing out. "One of the men, Robert Louden, needs special protection. I will need him later to testify. Put him in a cell by himself and make sure he is safe.", Hammond instructs the warden.

"I'll see what I can do.", the warden replies, shrugging.

"Thank you. Goodbye.", Hammond replies and heads for the car waiting for him outside.

**Division**

In the conference room, Tony has just finished coordinating the deployment of the CTU team and the LAPD officers so that they don't bump into each other. _Everything has to go smoothly, otherwise we risk losing both Jack and Palmer_, he thinks, feeling somewhat tired. Suddenly he is thankful for the lack of windows in the conference room; not being able to actually see the darkness outside seems to be helping his weary body shake the fatigue off, despite the clock on the wall showing it was long past 3 a.m. already.

He takes a sip of water and forces himself to focus again. "There'll be time for rest later.", he tells himself.

Jack has parked his car outside on the parking lot as agreed. He sits in the car, his gun on the dashboard, a radio on the passenger's seat next to him. He checks his watch, frowning slightly because it's past the agreed time and no-one is there yet, then picks up the radio. "Tony, it's Jack. Are you ready on your end?"

"Yeah, Jack. The team and LAPD units are in position in and by the slide to the garage."

"Where exactly?"

"Baker and two of his men are positioned at the slide to the structure and the rest are concealed inside, in the East wing and the middle part of the building. They have a good view of the lot from their positions. There are no units in the West wing but we have someone on the other side of the street and he can view the rest of the area, in case this doesn't go down in the open. LAPD has plainclothes units outside on the street as well as inside nearby buildings."

Jack nods to himself, satisfied. "Okay. It is imperative they stay covered, make sure LAPD understands that." he frowns slightly at the thought of cops blowing the misison.

"Yeah, they'll stay out of sight. The area is covered. They know what's at stake, Jack."

Jack pauses for a second. _Get a grip, Jack. Tony knows what he's doing._ His tone changes to a slightly apologetic one. "Alright, Tony, thanks. Does anyone have visual on a possible target vehicle?"

"No. No visual on vehicles yet. Our teams have night vision but LAPD is operating in the light they have. Satellite is pretty much unusuable except IR."

"Alright, I copy. Tony, let me know if anyone spots them. Over."

Jack places the radio back on the seat and rubs his eyes for a few seconds, hoping to literally wipe away the fatigue. Even though the stakes are high, as is the adrenaline, the weariness of the advanced time of night is threatening to overcome him, too. Knowing he must stay alert, Jack grabs a small towel from the glove compartment and a bottle of water from the back of the car, wets the towel and brings it to his face, rubbing it over his skin. He then puts the towel on his neck, leaving it there, takes a gulp or two of water and sits, gazing through the windshield into the distance. _This might be the worst of your bad days, Jack_, he tells himself. _Better gather all the strength you can_.

**Marie's location**

Having lowered the pistol, Michelle leant her back on the wall, and remained standing there, a few steps away from Marie's body, her eyes closed, breathing deeply. _It's over, Michelle. It's over, she's gone_, she kept telling herself, taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly.

_It's ov-,_ she's about to repeat as she hears a sound from the stairwell and her eyes open widely again.

Silently, her shoeless feet move towards the doorframe. She listens in again. It's quiet but she isn't fooled by the silence. _I'm trapped_, she thinks. She remembers the man reading the paper in the lobby. He must have heard the gunfire. And even if he hasn't, someone must have and that means the LAPD will be flooding the area soon, if they have anyone to spare and she might find herself in a crossfire again. The adrenaline level is still high in her bloodstream as she decides to take a chance and try to make it to the fire escape. She breathes in deeply once more and then holds her breath as she inches to the door, closing her eyes again to focus on her other senses. Still no sound.

She decides to test if someone's out there. She grabs the first thing she can reach, which turns out to be a stapler that has fallen to the floor, and throws it into the hall. Two shots respond to the stapler. _So I'm not alone_, she concludes.

"I'm a federal agent!", she yells out to her invisible opponent. "Marie Warner is dead. So are your peers. There is no reason for you to stay here unless you want to be arrested. The police will be here any minute!"

"You're lying!"

"I'm not. It's all true. If you want any chance of escaping, you have to go now!", she tells him, knowing it won't be as easy as that, but still, somewhere deep inside hoping he might listen to her and she won't have to enter another dangerous situation.

"And why are you telling me this? Surely _you _don't want me to escape?", he shouts back.

"I don't care what you do as long as your plans don't play out. And they won't."

The man shoots in her general direction twice more. "Lady, I'm not letting you out of here. I'm gonna come in now and I'm gonna kill you and there's nothing you can do about it.", he tells her, sure that she's either bluffing or out of ammo.

_I hope you're wrong_, Michelle thinks, reaffirming her grip on the gun.

She hears him take a couple of steps, and takes the weapon in her left hand. She isn't left-handed, but this will have to do. Exposing herself so that she can use her right hand is just too risky. She would have to aim accurately enough to get rid of this pain in the neck. She had seen the man downstairs, he didn't seem too tall, maybe 5 feet. She decides to aim half-high and as she hears another step getting closer, she partly comes out behind the doorframe and shoots. To her relief, there is a loud groan first, and the man falls to his knees, and then to his stomach. Not bothering to check whether he's dead, she starts running. Her feet take her one flight of stairs up and towards the fire escape. She collects her shoes and begins to descend the steps towards the street as fast as she can.

**Parking lot / Division**

"Almeida, this is Baker. LAPD is reporting two black vans approaching from the Northeast. No plates. This must be them."

"Roger that, Baker." Tony's voice breaks the silence in the SUV. "Jack, we have visual on the vehicles. Two vans. They're heading your way."

Jack instantly grabs the radio again and speaks into it. "Yeah, I copy. I'm exiting the car.", then throws the wet towel to the dashboard and the radio back to the seat.

"Alright, it's happening. All units, it's a go. I repeat, it's a go.", Tony confirms for the rest of the men.

Jack leaves the keys in the ignition lock, holsters his weapon, and with one deep breath, opens the car door, stepping out onto the concrete. He takes a few steps away from the SUV, then waits. He can see distant headlights approaching from the side, but then they stop, not driving onto the open space of the lot. The vans park to the side of the house so they are not visible from where Jack is standing, the faint light coming from their position the only evidence they are there at all. The West wall of the building next to the vans is solid, the space for the two vans narrow, delimited by the two streets' intersection. The vans park rear to rear, roughly parallel to the building wall, allowing enough space between them to open the back doors.

In the van facing the lot, Morgan turns to Palmer. "I'm going to let you outside to talk to Bauer with one of my men acting as your Secret Service escort.", he says, nodding to the man next to him who is wearing a dark suit. "You are to get him here, that is all. But if I see you hinting anything to him, my man will shoot you. Also, if Bauer does not come here, I will kill the last of your agents." he continues, motioning to Pierce. "Is that understood?"

Palmer presses his lips together, glaring at Morgan with pure anger in his eyes. He forces himself to utter a curt "Yes." in reply but nothing more.

The 'Secret Service escort' steps outside, opening the door, waiting for Palmer to exit. Palmer is reluctant to leave the vehicle until Morgan pulls a pistol and aims it at Pierce's head. "Go.", he orders simply, his eyes on the former President.

_Damn you_, David thinks, but leaves the van with a slight groan. Outside, he waits until the door is closed behind him and then starts walking towards the parking lot. The lot is sparingly lit, and Morgan quite soon loses sight of them. As they round the corner of the building, they see a dark figure standing in the bright gleam of a car's headlights directed straight at them. David instantly recognizes Jack's silhouette. _I hope you brought backup, Jack_, he surmises.

Jack, willingly playing his part of a worried helper, begins to walk towards the ex Commander-In-Chief but takes care to remain in the area lit by the headlights so that CTU can have a good view of them. All the while, Palmer is thinking about how to help Jack. As he walks, he begins to talk to Morgan's thug. "You have to keep your distance. A real Secret Service agent wouldn't listen in on what I have to say to Bauer."

"My orders are to stay close."

"Then stay close. But not too close. Otherwise he'll know you're fake. Jack is not a stupid man."

"Fine, but if anything goes wrong, I will shoot."

"Yeah I've heard that before", Palmer mutters under his breath.

Jack and Palmer meet, and the thug indeed stays back a few steps. "Hello, Jack.", Palmer says, offering his hand. Jack shakes it and nods respectfully in return. "Mr. President."

Palmer pulls Jack into a hug, like with an old friend, and whispers "Jack, get out of here."

"I can't. The site is secure.", Jack whispers back quickly and Palmer inwardly breathes a sigh of relief as he lets go. _Good. I knew he'd catch on._

"Sir, you said there was something you wanted me to see?", Jack asks neutrally, continuing with the act.

"Yes. Let's walk."

Jack follows Palmer as they slowly head back towards the building behind which Morgan's vans are parked.

"Jack, Wayne faxed me a photograph of the man you mentioned. He's behind everything, isn't he?"

"Yes, Sir, we believe so. He's here, right?"

"Yes."


	20. The deeper Trouble

**Yucca / Vine parking lot**

The 'Escort' keeps his distance and is annoyed as hell because the two men walking ahead of him are speaking too softly for him to make out what they're saying. _They won't be talking for long_, he tells himself. _Morgan will make sure of that._ It still isn't quite clear to him why they were playing the act, why Morgan didn't just order them to kill Bauer and Palmer as soon as they arrived. _Well, maybe he wants to do it himself, up close and personal, without exposing himself,_ he thinks, as he keeps on walking behind the two men.

The building on the parking lot is long and has three parts, constructed in a staggered fashion: a large, open structure, where CTU teams 1 and 2 are hidden, a middle one, harboring CTU team 3 and a small one, next to which Morgan's vans are parked, the portion of the building that is lacking windows or open spaces on two of its sides. Morgan had carefully chosen the place to park his vans so that they couldn't be viewed from inside the building. The three CTU teams are positioned so they have a clear view of the area in front of the building. Jack's SUV is in their view as well, and they watch attentively as the three men move toward the location of the vans. There is nothing but streets and the highway behind it, so securing that area has been relinquished to the plainclothes LAPD units.

Jack and Palmer walked the length of the entire building and their conversation gradually fell silent the longer they walked. As they get to the smallest portion of the building, Palmer turns right and Jack follows. As soon as they round the corner, they find themselves face to face with four armed men, standing close to the two vans, their handguns or rifles drawn.

Jack, faking a surprise, makes a slight move as if wanting to go for his gun, but the men cock their weapons, and the 'Escort' also points his weapon at Jack, warning him not to do what he's about to do. Not wanting to provoke a gunfight that would put Palmer in the crossfire, Jack gives in. As he begins to raise his hands, he briefly looks at Palmer, who gives him an apologetic glance, but then turns his eyes to the dark asphalt. _Why isn't CTU interfering yet?_, David ponders. _Aren't they supposed to prevent a firefight?_

"Hands on your head." someone shouts and Jack calmly complies. One of the other men approaches Jack, shoves him with his rifle and the entire group including Palmer starts walking towards the two vans.

Not wanting to break the silence with spoken communication and give away their positions, Tony sends a message to CTU's patrol radios. "Does anybody have visual?" the enquiry funnels through the system to the team and appears on their screens. Soon, replies from the teams come in and Tony reads them. Baker's team, CTU-1, as well as teams 2 and 3 inside the parking lot report negative. CTU-4, a lone agent on a roof of a building on Ivar Avenue, just across the street, replies in the affirmative. Since the agent is too far away from the scene to be heard by Morgan's people, Tony switches his comm to channel 4. "Alcock, talk to me. What do you see?"

Alcock, looking through his night vision glasses, speaks into his throat mike. "Jack and Palmer are moving towards the rear of the first van. The second is parked behind it. I've got a total of five armed men following them. No sign of Morgan."

"Alright, stay on it. Stay covered. You're our only eyes out there."

"Copy. Over."

Tony switches the channel to reach the remaining units. "All teams: Jack is moving toward the second van on the East side of the building. Five opponents, possibly more inside the vehicles. Maintain your positions and do not open fire. I repeat, do not open fire. Out." Tony begins to pace the room, nervous, unable to sit down. He runs a hand over his face as he thinks: _We'll know in a minute if this is going to be an exchange or a bloodbath_.

Jack is now between the two vans and the men behind him stop walking. So does he and so does Palmer. The vans are still parked so that the back doors of the vans are directly opposite of each other. As Jack stops, one of the back doors opens. Through the faint light inside the vehicle, Jack recognizes Dan Morgan.

Palmer looks puzzled._ Where is Aaron?_

**Marie's location**

Michelle sits in her car again, the doors locked, the back of her seat lowered, her gun on the dashboard, still trying to control her breathing again. She needs to call CTU or LAPD or Division, anyone, to help collect the bodies, maybe search for information from Marie's computers; she knows it but she does not want to let Steve or Chloe or anyone hear her panting for air or her voice quivering through the phone. She has somehow miraculously managed to escape Marie and her thugs but the reality of it is still somewhat surreal to her.

What isn't, is the fact that she was supposed to arrest Marie, bring her in, not kill her, and that this fact might cause problems, not only to her or her career, but to preventing further terror from happening and that thought alone is already beginning to make her feel sick. Suddenly feeling strangely claustrophobic, but not wanting to leave the car, she opens up the windows, allowing the cool air in, while waiting for her heart rate to slow down.

**Yucca and Vine**

"Ah, Jack Bauer. You're a hard man to reach, you seem to get around." Morgan wryly remarks. Pointing a pistol at Jack, he soon motions for Jack's holster. "Take off the holster and give it to me, slowly."

Frowning at Morgan, Jack lowers his hands and does as told, takes a step towards the van and throws the holster to Morgan, knowing he cannot make a mistake right now. Then he steps back again, putting his hands to the back of his head.

"Get them inside." Morgan instructs his men. Two of the men sling their weapons over their shoulders and go to grab Jack and Palmer to put them in the same van with Morgan.

"Wait." Jack utters, giving the thugs a sharp look which surprisingly makes them stop walking and look at their boss for confirmation. He nods slightly, wanting to hear what Jack has to say. Then Jack turns his eyes to Morgan again. "Don't do this. Let President Palmer go. He has done nothing to you. _I_ killed your men at the Observatory."

Morgan frowns. "So you did. But the former President has his own skeletons to hide. He and his brother caused the death of a woman who was very dear to me, I'm assuming you know who I am referring to." he then replies, the anger for all three clear in his voice. "Unfortunately, his brother is not in L.A. with him today, so I'll have to postpone that meeting." he states.

Jack doesn't lose eye contact with Morgan as he replies. "The woman who killed Mrs. Palmer committed suicide. It's over. Nothing you do will bring her back. Sherry Palmer's death was very unfortunate, but neither David nor Wayne Palmer pulled the trigger on her. They were a family, they loved her and they miss her too."

"David threw her away like some piece of trash!" Morgan says, raising his voice.

"Because she betrayed him! And then she betrayed the country." Jack replies. One of Morgan's men approaches Jack with the rifle ready to slam into Jack's stomach. Morgan raises his hand to the man, stopping him, just glaring at Jack.

Seeing that he might have a chance at getting Morgan to think about his words, Jack takes one step towards the van, his hands still on the back of his head. "Do what you want to me, but please let the President go. He doesn't deserve this." he says calmly, fully prepared to take Morgan's entire wrath on himself, speculating that Morgan will not chance a firefight in the still of the night.

Tony does not like the silence greeting him from the other end. "Alcock, talk to me, what's happening out there? Do you still have visual?"

"Roger that, individuals still in sight. One of the vehicles seems to have a door open, apparently they're talking." Alcock reports on the channel audible to all teams.

Tony sighs to himself. _Jack, what the hell are you doing?_

From Baker's team Tony gets a message asking if they should engage. Tony replies in the negative and tells them to hold their position.

**Michelle's car**

Finally, Michelle picks up the phone and dials Division. When Steve picks up, she sounds pretty composed as she speaks. "It's Michelle. I need a CSI team at Marie's location. I was forced to shoot her and her accomplices, they're dead. I'm going back in to look at her computer files and see if I can find any information there before I return to Division, but I need some back up here before I do, if you can spare anyone." she speaks fluently and fast, saying everything she needs to say in one breath, not wanting to allow Steve to ask any questions. The last few words were necessary but she hoped, as she spoke them, that they did not convey just how much she, Division Deputy Director, really _wants _that backup.

Steve pulls up the deployment information, relieved to hear Michelle is alright. He wants to ask her exactly what happened but her tone makes him realize she does not want to discuss any details at the moment. Therefore, he only smiles slightly to himself, glad she made it and replies to her. "I'll see what I can do, Michelle. There is a situation with President Palmer but that should be resolved soon, so some of Baker's team members may be able to -"

Michelle shakes her head. "No. No, don't send CTU here. They need to be ready to act immediately, should other threats surface. Just send an LAPD unit if you can." She pauses, feeling bad about asking for this kind of help. Changing the subject, she continues. "Look, Steve. I'm going back in now. Marie's computer needs to be hacked in and it can't wait. I'll be in the apartment."

"Okay."

Michelle disconnects the call, loads a fresh clip in her gun, just in case, and then leaves the car, walking back to the apartment building.

**Yucca and Vine**

Eyeing Jack for a long time, Morgan cocks his head to the side slightly, thinking. _He has a point,of course it won't bring Sherry back. But I would have my vengeance. But how long will you enjoy it if you are wanted for the murder of a former president,_ he remarks. _ True. Then again it could be easier to slip away after killing Bauer. After all, he's the one who killed Matthew, he's the one you really want._ After this heated exchange with himself, he finally makes a decision.

"Bring the Secret Service agent here." he says into a radio, then speaks coldly to Jack. "You're quite a negotiator, Bauer, I'll give you that. But I promise you, it's far from over for you."

_The Secret Service agent? There's another hostage here, who is it?_, Jack thinks. After a couple of seconds his question is answered as the back door to the other van opens. Jack instinctively turns his head to the side, seeing Aaron Pierce, still tied up and gagged inside the van. One of the men in the van cuts the ropes around his ankles, then Aaron is pushed from the vehicle onto the pavement and stands there, looking first at Jack and then at Palmer, relieved for a moment that both of them are okay, but unsure of what is about to happen.

Morgan instructs two of his men to take Palmer and Pierce to the other side of the van. Jack follows them with his eyes. _Damn it, I don't like this_. _They're going to shoot them._ But then he realizes: _There's nothing you can do any more. You'll know soon enough. They might let them go._

Enjoying seeing the moment of panic on Jack´s face as his men grab Palmer and Pierce to lead them away, Morgan decides to give Jack one last concession. "Don't worry, they won't shoot them, we're just making sure they won't raise the alarm immediately."

Jack breathes a sigh of relief. _Good, so this is working out_, he says to himself and returns his eyes to Morgan. He lifts his head as he does so and then his face returns to his stoic, ready-to-die mask.

"They are taking Palmer and who appears to be a Secret Service agent to the other side of the van. I'm losing visual, do we engage?" Alcock reports.

Tony can feels the responsibility weigh on his shoulders again; if he makes the wrong call, this will end in a bloodbath and another national trauma. But he doesn't have a choice. The mission profile he and Jack worked up is more than clear, whether he likes it or not.

"Negative, do not engage. I say again, do not engage!" he instructs the teams. _They won't risk attracting attention at this hour, they want this to go smoothly. Maybe Jack's plan worked out_, Tony ponders. _And you got yourself into even deeper trouble, Jack. Hopefully we can get you out of this._

Inside Palmer's head, emotions are waging war._ Damn it, Jack, you cannot do this. I can't allow you to die for me._ He wiggles out of the man's grip and turns back towards the van. As he does so, the entire group including Morgan himself all point their guns at him again and he stops dead in his tracks. Jack turns his head to him and his and Jack's eyes lock. There is no anger in Jack's eyes; no fear, no pain, just calmness, as if to tell Palmer that it's okay.

_Go before they kill you_, Jack tries to convey through his eyes. Palmer stands there for a few seconds, thinking. _Jack came here with one mission, to save me. It would all be in vain if this fails now because of me. Maybe I can help CTU track Morgan and help Jack in time. Maybe CTU is waiting to engage when I'm safe_, he hopes. He nods slightly and slowly turns away again, going back towards Pierce with a heavy heart.

When Palmer joins Pierce again, Morgan turns in his seat as his men hit Jack at the back of his head, knocking him out, and shove him into the cargo space of the van. As the vans begin to move seconds later, Palmer and Pierce are left behind, on the ground, uncounscious.

Impatient, Tony contacts CTU-4 again: "What is happening, Alcock?" He hates being blind in situations like these, knowing he needs every piece of information available. "The vehicles are leaving. I'm also seeing two figures, unmoving, on the ground." Alcock responds.

_Son of a bitch! If Palmer is dead, this whole operation was a failure. And they have Jack_, Tony thinks grimly. "Copy that. Alcock, maintain your position and keep a visual on the vehicles as long as possible. Baker, I need you to move your team to the exchange point and verify the identity of the individuals there."

Baker hears the order and replies "Roger that, Almeida." He then signals his men and the teams move outside, following the walls of the building and taking the same path Jack and Palmer had taken minutes ago. CTU team 3 maintains their position, overlooking the lot.

Switching channels, Tony continues. "Chloe, see if you can sat-track the vehicles, or if that fails, try CalTrans."

Chloe nods out of habit. "Ok, I'm on it, but I seriously doubt we'll get anything from sat. It's pitch black out there, Tony."

"I know Chloe. Just try it, please." Tony responds, slightly annoyed with her again.

"I said I'd do it, Tony." she rolls her eyes. "I'll use IR. I'll get back to you if it works, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Tony, this is Baker. Do you copy?" the voice comes from the radio next to Tony.

"Yeah, I copy. What do you have?"

"We're approaching the position, the bodies on the ground look like David Palmer and Aaron Pierce." he reports. As two of his men stay behind him, pointing their weapons into the darkness, Baker kneels down by the bodies on the ground and puts a hand on Palmer's neck first, then on Aaron's. _I have a pulse_, he thinks and says: "They're alive." He breathes a sigh of relief as he continues: "CTU, the mission was a success. The site is secure, Mr. Palmer and Mr. Pierce are alive and safe. Unconscious, but alive."

Tony sighs with relief. "Good job. Get the medics there and coordinate with the Secret Service. Their additional units should already be en route to take over Palmer's security."

"Roger that, Tony. Out."

**Split screen**

Brad Hammond is in his car, approaching the Division HQ. He is on the phone with someone, scribbling illegibly on a notepad on his lap. / Michelle is typing away at Marie's laptop, apparently having gotten lucky and managing to get into the files stored there. / Morgan's vans are on the move, approaching the junction to highway 101. Jack is unconscious and being tied up by two of Morgan's men in the back of the van. The other van is following them close behind. / James Heller is on the phone, listening to his conversation partner, but not replying. His expression goes from tense to relieved to worried within just a few seconds.

**Division**

Tony paces the conference room nervously, waiting for news from Chloe if they have had any luck on tracking where Jack is. _Everything is going to hell. Morgan has Jack and we have no idea where they are headed. Even if we did, there are no teams to help him, everyone is tied with the current protocols. Looks like Jack is on his own, once again._

Finally, he sits down, letting out a long sigh. _Then there's the rest of Ragen's men and Marie._ He glances at the phone and briefly considers calling Michelle to ask if her analysts have found anything on Marie's whereabouts but decides against it. She has her hands full as it is. It makes no sense to distract her.

_I should have stopped them, I had the best opportunity. I had the chance to stop them before anything major happened. Why didn't I?_ he recriminates. _Because it was too risky_, his conscience reminds him.

**CTU**

"Is Palmer safe?" Chloe hears Erin's voice above her head. She doesn't bother to turn around as she keeps trying to get a usable IR image on the two vans but replies: "Yes, our teams secured him and Agent Pierce minutes ago. Last I heard they were checked up by the medic on site. Palmer should be clearing the area with Secret Service in a few minutes."

"So they're alright?"

"Yes."

"Good." Erin states, calmly on the outside, but inside, she can feel a heavy burden fall off her chest. "What are you doing now?"

"The men who kidnapped Palmer now have Jack. I'm trying to track their vehicles so that we know where they are taking him and we can send a team to rescue him. Following them directly wouldn't have worked. Not to mention putting a tracker on Jack."

"What are you using to track them?"

"Satellite, IR, CalTrans, whatever I can."

"And are you getting anything?" Erin questions, her voice doubtful.

"I haven't lost them yet, if that's what you mean. But they're still on the move and we don't know where they're going."

As the vans approach Highway 101, one of them turns West, out of town, and the other goes back East, back into L.A. Chloe notices this on her screen and a soft "Damn it." escapes her.

"What is it?" Erin, who was about to turn away from Chloe's station, asks.

"They've separated. The vans are going in the opposite directions. I have no idea which one Jack is in." Chloe points to the screen as she says this, then looks at her boss.

"Well, can you find out?"

"No."

Erin says nothing, just raises an eyebrow.

"I can track both of them, but once they stop, we won't know where to send our teams." Chloe adds quickly.

_This is too much._ Erin ponders. She crosses her arms, giving Chloe an authoritative look. "Chloe, you're our best analyst, I don't want you wasting your time and so many of our resources on this. Jack knew what he was getting himself into when he agreed to the trade. He's on his own. I need your skills on something else."

"Like what?" _Scrubbing the toilet maybe?_ she adds in her mind.

"We still haven't got Marie Warner. I want you to lead the search for her."

"Haven't you heard?" Chloe asks, perplexed. "Marie Warner is dead. Michelle killed her."

"Michelle Dessler?"

_No, Michelle Pfeiffer. _"Yeah. Tony Almeida's wife."

Erin just stands there, looking at Chloe, processing the information.

**Morgan's vans**

The westbound van drives to the outskirts of the city and turns into an area dense with trees. Following a narrow, winding road to the hills, it soon arrives at a small cabin in the middle of the woods. The driver parks it in front of the entrance and exits, then opens the door for his boss.

Morgan walks directly towards the house, while two of the thugs grab Jack under his arms and pull him out of the van to drag him to the cabin. As they do so, Jack's cell phone falls out of his jacket and lands on the floor of the van, sliding behind a box. By now, Jack has awakened again and is trying to glance around the surroundings of the house in front of him, but all he can see is they seem to be in the middle of the woods. Too soon, Morgan opens the heavy, wooden door to the cabin and Jack is dragged inside. The driver then moves the van again and parks it behind the house, hiding it from view, then sits on the step in front of the door as a lookout and lights a cigarette, gazing, bored, into the darkness.

The cabin is small and sparsely furnished, only a table and a few chairs are in the single room, with a bed and a nightstand in one corner and a small stove in the other. There are no carpets on the floor or drapes on the windows, no personal items. A tiny kitchen at the other end of the cabin completes the picture.

Morgan enters first, two of his men following with Jack between them, hands zip-tied behind his back. The wooden floor creaks as Morgan's heavy boots walk across it. Morgan pulls one of the brown, wooden chairs from the table and nods. "Sit him down." The men shove Jack to the chair, then the larger of them lights an oil lamp on the nightstand, the smaller one pulls on a string hanging from the ceiling, switching on a single lightbulb, the only built-in illumination in the room, while Morgan walks to the window.

For a moment he just stares out the dirty window, silent. There is not much to see outside, but he is not really looking for anything to see. The pane is covered in dust and dirt from the past storms and there are spiderwebs in each of the corners of the wooden frame that probably used to be white at some point. It looks weathered and old now, just like the rest of the house.

The silence in the cabin is creepy, even somewhat creepy to Jack. He watches Morgan attentively as his back is turned to him. Thankfully, the exchange worked out and the fact that he managed to convince Morgan to let Palmer and Pierce go is the only comforting thought to Jack at this moment. Afraid to let the exchange go awry, afraid for Palmer's life, he had given CTU specific orders not to interfere, not in the least dreading death if it meant Palmer being able to walk away with his life. Still, even though he agreed to the exchange fully knowing that there was more than a slight chance he might not make it out, it is only now, as he stares at the long, black leather coat of Morgan's, that the possibility effectively strikes him as real.

He doesn't know much about the man holding him hostage, except that he is bitter, angry and that there is only one way this can end. _Not quite the way you've imagined it, is it? _Jack asks himself. _No. But at least I'll die knowing what I did was right. And anyway, it's too soon to give up. Maybe Tony will be able to find us here. Whatever happens, just hold out for a while, you know you can._

**Division**

Just as Tony stands again and starts pacing again, the laptop beeps. Tony walks over to it, and for a moment stares at the screen, not believing his eyes. The decryption protocol he ran on Ragen's files finally produced something. With a ghost of a smile on his lips, he picks up the phone from the desk.

"Yeah, patch me through to Tom Baker's comm… "Baker, it's Tony Almeida. Gather up your team and get ready to move, we just got a location on Ragen's next target, it's the BP Carson Refinery. There isn't much time. I'm going to contact the people in charge of security and patch them through to you. Then you can coordinate the operation as necessary."

"OK, Tony. We'll move out."

"Just stop them."

"We will, Tony. What about Jack?" he asks, since they were actually waiting for Jack's location. "Want me to keep a few men on standby?"

Tony sighs inwardly. "No. The priorities have changed. You will need your entire team to prevent the attack on the refinery. We'll coordinate with the local law enforcement when CTU gets a location on Jack."

"Understood. We'll be ready to leave here in three minutes. Over and out."

**Morgan's cabin**

After a while Morgan, still looking out the window, his hands behind him, speaks: "Do you know why I brought you here, Jack?" he asks, deliberately using Jack's first name, a very subtle malicious edge in his voice.

Jack's eyes now focus on the dirty wooden floor. As Morgan speaks, he doesn't lift his head. Seconds later, he mumbles a reply, more to himself than to anyone else: "There's no doubt in my mind."

Morgan's sharp ears nevertheless make out the response and he turns to Jack: "Really? So tell me why?" he asks, moving one step or so closer to him.

Jack grins bitterly for a second, then lifts his eyes towards Morgan, looking him in the eye. "You want revenge." he says slowly, lifting an eyebrow. _And you think that killing me will make you feel better._

Not answering Jack's statement, Morgan comes even closer to Jack and continues as if Jack hasn't said anything: "You killed seven of my men at the Observatory this morning." he states, raising his voice. "One of them was my little brother!" With this outburst Morgan backhands Jack full force across the face, the strength of the blow splitting Jack's lip. Morgan then starts to walk away from Jack in silence, controlling the anger inside him again.

The room had gone black for a second after the forceful blow to his head but as his senses return to him, Jack spits a mixture of blood and saliva to the floor. "Sorry about your brother." he utters, somewhat neutrally.

At this, Morgan stops again and turns, his eyes piercing and ice cold, sending shivers down the spine of even his own men in the cabin. "Oh you are?" he mocks Jack. "That won't bring Matthew back, now, will it?"

He pauses before continuing. "So, you see, this isn't just revenge for disrupting my plan, it's a lot more personal. If this had only been about the plan I might not even have wanted you here instead of Palmer. My men would have simply shot you at the parking lot." He says the last sentence as if stating a mundane fact. "But now, it is going to take a long time for you to get that reprieve that death grants. Mark my words."

"You don't scare me. I've been here before. If I die now, so be it."

"It's not a matter of chance, Jack. Your fate is sealed."

**Division**

As Hammond's car stops at the division parking lot, the two security guards who were previously watching Tony are waiting for him.

"Good, you're here as I requested." He says to them as he exits the car. "Has your supervisor explained why I wanted you here?"

"No, sir." the larger guard, Mitch answers.

"The man you were watching previously is a convicted felon, and he was helping us out with the capture of the terrorists who are responsible for today's attacks. Or so some thought." Hammond explains, saying the last comment in a sarcastic tone. "Now it seems that he was actually involved in planning these attacks and we need to take him into custody, in order to find out what he knows."

"Yes, sir. He's in Conference Room 4." Dave, the other guard replies while they are moving inside, unaware of the previous history of the two men involved.

Tony, in the conference room, bows down to pick up a sheet of paper that had fallen onto the floor but gives a groan when he feels sharp pain running through his torso. _Watch it or you'll reopen the wound, _he tells himself. Hastily, breathing shallowly, he opens up a drawer and takes out the prescription bottle Dr. Burke gave him and takes out a painkiller. When he sees Hammond coming in with the guards he puts the pill back and gets up gingerly, forcing himself to stretch his body, having a hunch this can't be good. "What is it Brad?" he asks, tired, really not wanting to waste his energy with squabbling with Hammond over jurisdiction.

Hammond remains standing in the doorframe, crossing his arms. "Tony, I'm taking you into custody. We have proof you were involved with today's attacks and as such pose a threat to national security." he replies curtly.

"WHAT! From who? Come on Brad, you know that is not true!" Tony says with a rising tone of voice, letting his temper show, as he takes a few steps towards Hammond until the guards stop him, grabbing him by his arms.

"I haven't known you to be the same man for a long time, Almeida." Hammond says dryly, giving a nod to the guards to go ahead. They unceremoniously slam Tony against the wall in order to cuff him. Tony sees flashes of pain behind his eyelids as his body connects with the wall, thinking he'll pass out as he feels his knees buckling slightly against the pain. Then they grab under his arms to make sure he stays upright as they start to walk him away from the room. Tony, having no choice, walks along unwillingly, half disbelieving what's going on.

"Take him to the interrogation room, I'll be right there." Hammond barks at them.

**Morgan's cabin**

A silence ensued again that lasted a few moments. Morgan is still pacing the room slowly when he begins to speak. "You know I'm a businessman. Did you know I used to do business with the Iraqis before the first Gulf War? When they were our allies... I also had some dealings with the Iraqi Republican Guards, and you know who they are." Morgan continues talking to Jack as if telling a good-night story. "They had numerous very painful ways of killing the dissidents - or keeping them alive for that matter."

_Yeah, I know_, Jack thinks but doesn't reply. Instead, he keeps his eyes on Morgan, inwardly preparing himself for whatever is coming.

Ron, one of Morgan's men comes beside Jack, holding a small blowtorch.

"They used those, for example." Morgan states and nods at Ron, who then turns on the torch, letting the flame burn in front of Jack's face for a while.

The immense, glowing heat coming from the blue flame that close to his eyes is almost unbearable and Jack reflexively narrows his eyes, trying to protect them from the light as well as the heat.

Pulling back on Jack's shirt, Ron presses the torch on Jack's chest. Morgan calmly watches from the side, enjoying Jack's agony. After a couple of seconds, Jack's body begins to shake with pain. Even though in his mind, he wants to resist the urge to scream, the pain is simply too excruciating to just swallow in silence. A loud scream fills the cabin as the smell of burning flesh begins to spread out from his position.

**Split screen**

Tony is being walked through Division hallways, his back straight, the look in his eyes frustrated. _Damn you Hammond, we were just getting somewhere with Ragen's files!_ / Ron waits a second or two for Jack to recover, then hits him again. / Erin is back in her office, making a phonecall. As someone on the other end picks up, she says: "Yes, this is Erin Driscoll at CTU, I need to speak to Brad Hammond."


	21. Holding On

**DOD**

Secretary Heller is sitting in a chair at his desk, pensive. He is feeling weary, but not at all sleepy. The office is dark, only a floor lamp in one of the corners of the room preventing it from being wrapped in complete darkness, the ticking of the clock on the wall his only companion. He has been in the office for quite a while, alone, first waiting to find out whether Jack had succeeded in freeing the former President, and after he was informed by CTU that he had, Heller sat there hoping to hear that Jack, too, had been found and rescued. Unfortunately, that call hasn't reached him yet.

Suddenly, the phone on his desk rings. _Maybe this call is the one_. he surmises. Or it could be the call telling him to find himself a new Special Assistant. Two rings later, he moves a hand and picks up the receiver. He just listens as his secretary informs him briefly that President David Palmer is holding for him, then he thanks her briefly and waits until he is put through. He clears his throat and straightens his back in the chair as he waits.

"Mr. Secretary, it's David Palmer." a deep voice greets him.

"Mr. President, glad to hear you're fine. How can I help you, sir?" he asks straight out, guessing this is not a social call.

"Mr. Secretary," David speaks in his presidential voice. "I'm certain you've heard that the only reason I'm able to talk to you right now is one of your employees: Jack Bauer."

"Yes, sir. I have been informed of the current situation. Jack Bauer is a good man, his credentials speak for him and his dedication. His experience is one of the reasons I wanted him on my staff."

Palmer looks out of the window of the limousine he is being chauffered in. "Then, I am also confident that you're aware of the fact that Jack saved my Presidency and my life more than once; including tonight." He pauses briefly. The door to Heller's office opens and Audrey walks in. Seeing her father is on the phone, she makes a move to leave the room again but he motions for her to stay, while still listening to Palmer, who soon continues.

"Jack agreed to a trade tonight, one that will without doubt get him killed. I called CTU Los Angeles and they said their units have already been redeployed and that they have no manpower to spare in order to try and get Jack out of this maniac's hands. The reason I am calling you is to discuss if there is anything that _we _can do for him." Palmer finishes and waits for a reply.

Heller leans forward in the chair, resting one elbow on the desk for a second as he asks: "Sir, do you mind if I put us on speaker? I have my Senior Policy Analyst here and she would likely be coordinating this."

"By all means." comes the answer.

Heller pushes the speaker button, then returns to the phonecall. "As for helping Jack, sir, I'm sure you are aware that the Department of Defense cannot easily get involved with internal security of the country because of the Posse Comitatus Act. It is the job of local and federal law enforcement, not the military."

"I am aware of that, Mr. Secretary. However, currently, the LAPD also has no officers to spare. Containing the attack on the LAMC is still their first priority. Many people require their assistance and the safety of the city must still be warranted. They cannot be expected to get involved with this. However, the Posse Comitatus does not apply to all situations. It simply states we cannot use the Army or the Air Force, but to my knowledge, the National Guard is exempt from the Act while under the authority of the Governor of a state."

"Yes, sir. The National Guard may be used at the behest of the Governor in this case, but I am doubtful if he sees this as a big enough crisis to mobilize National Guard units. And even if he did, sir, it might take days to complete."

Palmer shakes his head in disagreement. "Jack will be dead in a few days. He has hours at best, not days."

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't like this situation any more than you do." Heller replies and Audrey, hearing this, sinks weakly to a chair, trying to disguise the petrified look on her face. Jack is in one hell of a trouble if President Palmer is calling her father for help. She doesn't like what she's hearing, even knowing that there are boundaries as to how much they can legally do. Her hope is that neither of them will just surrender Jack to a murderer.

"Then what else can we do? There must be something." Palmer asks, reluctant to give in, not wanting to give up on Jack.

Heller thinks for a while, tapping a pen on the table a couple of times, before responding: "There might be a way, Mr. President. The Posse Comitatus specifically names the Army and the Air Force, but does not mention the Navy or the Marine Corps."

"I was under the impression that the Navy and the Marine Corps were added to it by the DOD as well."

Heller nods in agreement, rubbing his forehead. "Yes, Sir. But that directive can be... overridden if you will; in specific cases by the Secretary of Defense. We still might be able to use Marine units for this operation. They have been used in crisis situations in the Los Angeles area before."

This is just what he wanted to hear. Palmer is relieved at the reply and the confident glow returns to his eyes. "How long will it take you to mobilize the units once CTU has a location on Jack?"

"We can have the unit ready within the hour, sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I'll instruct CTU to coordinate with your office. Let's hope we won't be late." he says gravely.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Palmer disconnects the call and Heller holds the receiver in his hand for a couple of seconds before hanging up. Then he turns the seat of his tall office chair towards Audrey and, looking at his daughter, explains the rest of the situation to her. "Jack has been taken hostage by the group that had threatened to kill President Palmer earlier, most likely the same people who were responsible for what happened at the Observatory this morning." He leans back in the chair again, drumming his fingers on the desk. "They killed Mark, then went after Jack, finally got to Palmer and now Jack has given himself up so that Palmer would survive."

"Where is CTU on locating Jack?" Audrey speaks, barely managing to keep her voice steady, trying not to break down at the thought her father's statement brings to her mind.

Heller shakes his head. "I don't know. It doesn't look good, Audrey. They've got their hands full trying to prevent the next attack Morgan's group has planned. I'm not sure how many resources they can devote to finding Jack. He is not their priority. Technically, he doesn't even work for them."

"But he works for us. You'll try to bring him back, right? I mean, he's too valuable to lose. You know how much he's worth to this office." she says, in an attempt to keep her argumentation job-related.

"I do." Heller replies, not entirely fooled by her. "And I know you and Jack are close friends, Audrey. I'll put the Marines on standby but they can't do anything until CTU finds him."

"I know. I'll stay in touch with CTU and let you know as soon as they do."

"Do that. And don't worry." he tells her, his voice paternal. She forces a smile and gets up again, leaving the room.

David Palmer's limousine stops close to a helipad with a helicopter waiting nearby. The back door to the car opens and Palmer exits, shielded by a new team of Secret Service agents. He mounts the aircraft with a couple of agents, Aaron Pierce enters last and the chopper flies off into the darkness soon afterwards.

**Division, Interrogation Room**

The guards took Tony into the room and placed him sitting on the chair. Dave uncuffs Tony, then moves to the door, joining Mitch. They both stand, watching Tony attentively for any unacceptable move, but the only move Tony makes is running a hand across his face in obvious frustration at his situation, then attempts to sit a little more comfortably in the metal chair.

The interrogation room doesn't differ from other interrogation enclosures Tony has seen during his career - it is small, grey, the walls unpainted concrete, designed to suck out any hope from prisoners detained within its four walls. There is no clock, no window, nothing to allow the detainee to estimate how much time has passed since he's been brought in, and knowing CTU's facilities, Tony guesses this one is very well sound proof, too, allowing interrogation to proceed undisturbed, however brutal it may become.

The room itself would be enough to give a little scare to your usual wanna-be-criminal. With its cold, neon light, the steel table with legs firmly built into the concrete, remeniscent of those you could see in morgues and on various TV shows, and the two metal chairs, one for the interrogator, and the other for - well, right now, for him, Tony. At one end of the room, there is also a concrete pole, running from floor to ceiling, its radius just a few inches. It carries numerous scratches along its height, from cuffs of unlucky prisoners forced to hug the pole while they were being given time to think or worse.

His surroundings don't scare Tony, though, he's seen this too many times already. But as he sits there, waiting, he forcefully closes his eyes, trying to block out the pain burning in his abdomen and his broken ribs. He leans his head to his hand, feeling the small beads of cold sweat on his forehead. He then lifts his head towards the guards, speaking up. "Listen, umm, would it be possible for me to get a bottle of water, please?"

Dave, seeing the pain Tony obviously is in, replies in the affirmative and gets him a bottle from the observation room.

"Thanks." Tony utters, and thinking this could take a while, then adds, "Could you get me the painkillers I left in the conference room?" already regretting not having swallowed a pill when he was about to.

"I think that's okay." Dave replies and leaves the room just as Hammond enters. Hammond then motions for Mitch to leave the room, too, who does, but remains standing by the door.

"So Tony," Hammond starts as he and Tony are alone, still standing. "Looks like you haven't changed. Still willing to sacrifice millions of innocents, albeit this time not for your wife but for revenge."

Tony, breathing shallowly, looks him in the eye, his hands on the table in front of him. "That's BS, Brad, and you know it. I'd never attack innocents or anyone in this country even after all that has happened."

"Don't try to skirt the issue! We got evidence and witnesses who said you were discussing these attacks with Ragen and coordinating the attack on Camp Pendleton." Hammond says in a no-nonsense tone, taking two steps towards the table, then remains standing there.

"Oh for God's sake, Brad, I was undercover _posing _as someone else. I had to make it appear like I knew about this in order to get more information!" Tony winces as another jolt of pain goes through him. _Damn, I really need one of those painkillers or this is going to end badly_.

"Even so, that doesn't explain you coordinating the attack." Hammond states neutrally.

Dave enters again, with the painkillers and is about to hand them to Tony as Hammond stops him, grabbing his arm. "What the hell are you doing?"

"He asked for his painkillers, sir." Dave replies.

"He's not going to get anything until he tells us what he knows." Hammond says, looking at Tony, and taking the prescription bottle from the guard's hand, he slips it into his jacket pocket.

Tony groans, partly out of frustration and partly out of pain. _God that man is so stubborn. And a bureaucrat._

"Brad, I can't tell you what I don't know. Who is this witness of yours anyway, one of Ragen's men? You cannot possibly take them at face value. They knew I was working with Jack as we tried to get away with Marie Warner. This is their chance to get even, can't you see that!"

Hammond just stares at Tony, seemingly uninterested.

Tony sighs, thinking about what he could say to make the man in front of him at least try and find the evidence that will exonerate him. After a while, Tony continues. "Alright, look , I'm sure Ragen had surveillance on the compound. He wasn't stupid. Check the computers if they have any data on them or if there is any footage of the compound at the said time. Brad, I wasn't even _in_ the OC during the Camp Pendleton attack, the surveillance could prove that."

Hammond stands there for a few seconds, then finally he nods. "I'll have to make a call for them to check it." He then leaves to the observation room next door.

Tony gives a small sigh of relief. If Hammond views the surveillance tapes, everything will be alright. He knows very well it is his only chance to avoid what could become a very unpleasant interrogation.

Hammond closes the door behind him and stands looking at Tony through the tinted, one way glass.

**Division**

Steve looks up from his computer to see Michelle walking back in. Quickly saving his work, he gets up and goes to her. "Michelle." he says her name, the word accompanied by a questioning look.

"The CSI people are taking care of the bodies. I decided to come back, I can work on the files faster with our software." she answers his unasked question. Steve nods, satisfied. She didn't have to explain herself to him and both of them knew it, but her candor towards her subordinates has been one of the things that made her at least a likable boss to him and most of his coworkers. Michelle, on the other hand, knew she wasn't telling the entire truth, but also that this explanation will have to do.

"Yeah, sure. Do you need anything from IT?"

"No. I'll be fine. Bring me up to speed."

Steve walks her to his desk, explaining to her. "Well, we just received new intel from Tony a while ago, he managed to get into Ragen's files. The BP refinery in Carson seems the most likely next target. CTU has already dispatched field teams to the location, Tom Baker's leading the op."

"Yeah, Carson makes sense, I found some information on the town and the surroundings on Marie's computer as well, but I didn't know what to make of it. There were no specifics. I'm guessing she divided the information between several files, hidden in code. I retrieved her password from the computer, I'll see what else there is."

"Okay."

"Where's Jack?"

_Right, she didn't hear anything about that. _"Well, the truth is, Jack has been taken."

"Taken?"

"Yeah, David Palmer had been kidnapped and Jack managed to trade himself in exchange for Palmer. The terrorists now have him and they'll kill him soon if nothing happens."

"Aren't we doing anything?"

Steve shakes his head slightly. "CTU has no-one to spare. I just got word that the DOD is getting involved and are placing the Marines on standby to go in, but we still have no location on Jack, so the clock is ticking."

Michelle nods and is about to ask how Tony's been doing, but as she sees Hammond enter the bullpen, heading straight towards the two of them, she just thanks Steve and goes to meet him.

Hammond walks to Michelle, his face showing signs of obvious anger: "Michelle, a word. I see you returned from the field, where you went without notifying me, your superior. Not to mention that you didn't have any business being in the field anyway, as we don't handle field assignments." Hammond launches his speech without giving Michelle a chance to respond between sentences.

She knew that was coming. Not only had she left Division without notifying him but had been the Ranking Agent at the time and should definitively have stayed in. So she attempts to ignore his attitude and his bulldog-face as she calmly replies: "There was no-one available at the time, Brad. Everyone was tied up with the LAMC situation. I tried contacting Jack and Baker but I couldn't reach them. I do have some field experience and I knew I could handle it."

"That is no excuse for leaving. We are in the middle of an operation. CTU or the locals handle field assignments. Not us!"

_Fine, yell at me all you want. What's done is done._

Like an unrelenting storm, he continues. "Then, before I'm even notified that you're in the field, I get a call from Erin Driscoll informing me that you have effectively destroyed the only solid lead we had. You found Marie Warner and you killed her! She was supposed to be arrested, not shot so that you'd get revenge!" By now, Hammond is shouting and all eyes are on them.

"I wasn't planning on killing her. I wanted to arrest her but she was not just going to turn herself in! It was self-defense, Brad, I would not compromise the effectiveness of this unit just to get revenge."

"I don't want to hear your explanations. What I want from you is a detailed, written report on what happened. NOW. And you better hope we find another lead because if they get a chance to strike again, it will be on your shoulders."

"Fine. You'll have it. But you should know I was able to get into her files and I could try and retrieve something from them instead of writing a pointless report that could be done later."

Anger flashes up in his eyes. "Don't start, Michelle. You're mere words away from suspension as it is. Give the files to Steve, he'll assign them to someone. I want that report now." he says, wanting to keep her busy.

She stares him down for a few seconds, then mumbles: "Fine" and turns away instantly, walking past Marie's laptop she'd brought with her, past the desks and eyes of curious paper-pushers, and goes directly to her office. When she slams the door behind her, Hammond glances around the room and Division gets busy working again. The show is over.

As the noise level has risen, Steve turns to Hammond, quietly posing a question: "Has he said anything yet?"

"No, not yet. We'll let him sit and think it out a while. He's in pain already, that should hopefully make him talk."

Steve nods. "Ok, I'll let you know if anything new surfaces."

"Good." Hammond turns and walks away.

Steve gets back to work but glances upstairs to Michelle's office as he sits down in his chair. The blinds are closed, the light is off, and he can but guess the fury that must have built up inside her. He takes the laptop she brought with her, knowing it must be Marie's and switches it on. He needs the password and considers calling her, but guessing that she would ask about Tony and unsure if he could lie to her at this point, he reconsiders, and instead just sends a message to her system, asking about it.

**DOD offices**

Coming in from the corridor that is now unusually busy for the time of night, Audrey knocks on the door of her father's office and enters. Secretary Heller lifts his head at the knock and smiles slightly as she comes in. She walks to him wordlessly, then sits down on a chair to the side of his desk, the same chair she sat in just minutes ago while listening to the phonecall between her father and former President Palmer. Looking at her, concerned, he leans over to her and takes her hand between his.

"Are you okay?" he asks her.

She nods, somewhat absently. "I'm fine, I guess."

"You're worried about Jack." he states, not even making the sentence sound like a question.

"I am." she admits softly.

Heller squeezes her hand. "Audrey, look at me."

Slowly, she turns her head towards her father and meets his eyes with her own. He then continues. "Jack is a very strong man. He's seen and been through things that no man should go through - but he prevailed. We'll find him and we'll save him, you have to believe that."

"I know. It's just that he doesn't deserve this." She pauses. "The men who are holding him have no use for him. How do we know he's not dead already?"

"We don't. But we have to believe that if they had wanted to just kill him, they would have shot him at the exchange point. They didn't, which means they want to drag it out a little and that in turn means it will give us some time. Time that we'll use to find him and bring him back." he tells her convincingly.

"I hope so." she says, then tries to change the path of the conversation, so as not to sound pathetic. After all, she wasn't quite ready yet to tell her father that the reason she was worried was because she was falling in love with Jack. Not even Jack officially knew that and he wanted him to find out first. "Jack is really prepared to do anything, isn't he? He'll die without regret if he has to." she says, searching for an answer in her father's eyes.

Sighing heavily, Heller gets up from his chair, walks behind his daughter and places his hands on her shoulders before quietly replying: "Jack chose to _do his job_. He knew it was the only choice he had, Audrey. He saved David Palmer. Now we have to focus and do our best to save him, okay?"

_He is right_. Her rationality had always been her strong side and now she was letting it weaken, allowing emotions to take control of her while she was working. _That has to stop_. Now it is her who squeezes her father's fingers as she brings her palm up to his hand on her shoulder. "I know." she almost whispers.

After several seconds, she gets up and looks thankfully at him, her voice returning to that of a composed Senior Policy Analyst that she is, briefing the Secretary of Defense on the latest development in the case. "CTU has nothing on Jack yet. I've heard from the Marine unit you mobilized, they are ready to engage. I'll stay on top of this and let you know when we find his location."

He lets go of her hand as she heads towards the door. "Thank you. I'll be here." the Secretary answers.

She leaves the room soon disappears in her own office.

**Division Interrogation Room**

After sending the guards out of the room again, Hammond walks back inside it, and crosses his arms, looking at Tony. "Tell me what you did, Almeida."

Tony, feeling his latest dose of painkillers wear off by the minute, tries to get through to Hammond. He sighs deeply. "Look, how many times do I have to tell you? I do not know anything more then what I've already told you, Michelle and everyone else who debriefed me."

"And I don't believe you, Almeida. I have a witness and I am inclined to believe their word. So we'll just have to wait until you tell the truth!" Hammond responds angrily.

"You're wasting time, Brad. While you're trying to get me to say something you want to hear, the men who are actually responsible are getting away!" Tony says wearily, annoyed.

Unimpressed, Hammond sits down on the other metal chair in the room, not replying. He knows it's only a matter of time before anyone breaks and he can tell Tony's beginning to feel his injuries. _Might as well let his own body talk to him for a while,_ he thinks.

**CTU**

Annie, walking back from the bathroom, calls out: "Chloe, have you seen my cell phone?"

Annoyed at first, Chloe doesn't even lift her eyes from the keyboard. "No, and you know you're not supposed to have personal cell phones in here anyway. Whoever needs to contact you can call you here." But then it hits her. _Cell phone?_ _Annie, who knew, you may have come up with something useful today after all!_

"Oh, here it is." Annie mumbles to herself as she finds the phone underneath some papers on her desk. Chloe, on the other hand, making herself useful again, starts up a GPS locating program. _Cell phones have a GPS chip. If Jack's is still on, I'll find him_, she hopes.

Very soon, she starts getting results. The tracking software first points to a broad area to the Northwest of Los Angeles, then progressively narrows down the search radius until it indeed locates the signal of Jack's phone in the van where it had been forgotten and the search stops. Immediately, Chloe dials a number and nervously waits until Audrey picks up on the other end.

"I think I've got Jack's location!" she breathes into the phone. "Somewhere in the woods outside of L.A."

"Good job, Chloe. Give me the coordinates." Audrey requests, relieved, a pen already in her hand.

"Look, I've used the GPS in his cell phone, so I can't be 110 percent sure, but we could get lucky this time. The coordinates are 34°06'55.76 North, 118°20'03.12 West. Did you get that?"

"Yeah." Just to be sure, Audrey repeats the numbers to Chloe, then disconnects the call. She then hurriedly dispatches the Marine units to the location.

**The cabin**

The smell of burnt flesh permeates the cabin even with the door and windows open to the cold, windy, moonless night. Jack is now slumped in the chair, his shirt ripped open to allow for a larger vulnerable area, sweat is dripping from his face. His chest and stomach carry several burns, the skin is red and blistered where the flames did their work. While his men are standing a few steps behind him, Morgan approaches Jack, looking at him with pleasure, enjoying seeing his pain.

"We won't let you die Jack, not yet. Those are just a few second degree burns in such small areas of your body that they won't kill you. But they are painful, aren't they?" he says smugly.

Jack, actively forcing himself to breathe through the pain, gathers some strength as he is given a minute's repose. He lifts his head, locking his eyes with Morgan's. "Go to hell." he mumbles.

"Sorry, Jack. Can't do that right now." Morgan answers coldly and walks to Jack's left side.

**Division / CTU**

As she gets word that the DOD has dispatched the Marines, Chloe calls Division. Now, for once somewhat less hectic, she waits with the receiver in her hand.

"Division, Dessler." a voice, almost bored, picks up. As she waits for an answer, she turns away from the computer screen for a moment. The report she began writing reluctantly but knew it had to be done, sooner or later. She decided that _sooner_ was the better option, so that she could start doing other things that were more important.

"Michelle, it's Chloe. Just wanted to let you know we probably found Jack and the Marines are on their way there right now."

"That's good news Chloe. How did you find him?"

"Through the GPS in his cell phone. I've located it to an area in the woods where one of Morgan's vans was headed. It is very likely that's where he is, unless of course Morgan took the phone off him and threw it out along the road, but that's a chance we have to take. It's the only chance we have."

_Yes, it is_, Michelle thinks. "Well, I hope you're right, Chloe."

"So do I."

"Any news on the refinery? Who's running tactical on that? Tony?" Michelle asks casually, her conscience now reminding her that she had meant to check up on Tony as soon as she got back to Division, but Hammond's insisting on an immediate report had sidetracked her.

"No. We're doing that now at CTU."

"Why? Wasn't Tony the one who discovered the target? I thought he would be coordinating the field teams." she inquires, sincerely puzzled.

"I don't know why, Michelle. Hammond called a while ago and put CTU on it. He didn't say why."

_Brad? What is he up to now?_ "Well, have you heard from Tony since?"

"Now that you mention it, no, I haven't. But I didn't try contacting him either."

"Okay, Chloe, thank you."

**Morgan's cabin**

"Oh, what's this?" Morgan asks, noticing Jack's bleeding left arm through his shirt. "Ahh, yes. You ran into Ragen and his crew today, too, didn't you? Too bad that you failed to stop them. That must be nagging at you." Morgan taunts, shaking his head.

"We'll get them." Jack forces a reply through the pain.

"Someone might, but you won't live to see that." Morgan responds and walks to the kitchen.

Jack keeps his eyes on Morgan for a while, but as he disappears to the kitchen, Jack again looks down at the floor, letting his head hang, then closes his eyes. Morgan opens one of the cupboards, taking a box from it and throwing it to the other man in the room, Raul. Walking back, Morgan whispers into Jack's ear: "Did you think your luck would last forever?"

_Luck? I wouldn't call my history that lucky. Except I somehow managed to escape the likes of you all these years_, Jack ponders but lacks the motivation to enter an argument.

Morgan walks to the window again and looks outside while Raul tears Jack's shirt down from his shoulders. Removing the blood-soaked bandage from the stab wound in Jack's left arm, he pours salt from the box into the wound. As Jack groans loudly, then cries out in pain, Morgan smiles at his own reflection in the window. _Revenge is a dish best served cold._

After countless grains of salt have entered and exited the wound, Morgan decides to let Jack recover for a while so that he's lucid enough to understand what is happening and what is said to him. _He gets off too easily if he's unconscious. _Morgan thinks.

**Division**

Michelle decides to check up on Tony, and, leaving the report to take care of itself for a while, she goes to the Conference Room where Tony was set up and knocks, opening the door when she receives no reply. She calls his name as she enters, but sees no-one.

"Tony?" she says again as she goes around the desk, looking at the floor in front of her, half expecting to find him passed out under the table. She lets out a small breath of relief, briefly closing her eyes when she doesn't see him, but the relief is short-lived as she soon realizes she doesn't know where else to look. _Maybe he's at the clinic, he shouldn't be working yet_, she ponders.

Standing by the chair, she glances around the room, trying to see it through his eyes, from the point he was sitting at, hoping that something might catch her attention and help her understand where he went. The laptop and monitors in the office look like he had been working and just got up from the desk very recently. She knows that if Tony himself had decided to go back to the clinic, he would have told her, or at least left a note if he couldn't reach her. They had been doing that for years, not wanting the other to worry. Besides, he would have saved his work and turned off the laptop. He would have told someone he was stepping down and no-one seemed to know anything; not here, not at CTU.

Papers and reports are scattered around on the conference table, and the laptop screen is showing that a search has produced results. The two monitors in the room are also online. On the left side is an overview of CTU and LAPD units and their locations and assignments. The newest order is flashing in red capitals next to Baker's team, indicating they are on their way to Carson. On the right side is a live feed of the situation at the LAMC. With CTU gone and most of the visitors having passed through decontamination already, the place seems to be under control of LAPD, NHS and LAFD. Bright floodlights directed at the building and its surroundings help overlook the area and make sure no-one escapes untreated and spreads the aerosol sticking to their clothes and skin.

Michelle lowers her eyes to the conference table again. She doesn't see Tony's painkillers anywhere but his gun and access card are still on the table, close to the laptop. The more she looks around, the more she begins to feel that not everything is right here. She places his things in a drawer so they don't lie around there openly and then exits the room, shutting the door behind her. _Where could he be?_

But then she remembers the guards Hammond had put on Tony earlier. She didn't believe his reasoning then. And it hits her. "He didn't… That bastard!" she mutters to herself and starts walking towards the interrogation area.

Sure enough, as she gets there, she recognizes the two guards outside Interrogation Room 4. She strides up to them with determination and says "Let me in there NOW!"

"No, Ma'am I can't do that", Mitch protests, as he takes a step towards the center of the door, thus blocking her path.

"Let me in there, that bastard has no right to hold Tony in custody, he's injured and he has done nothing!" Michelle shouts, pointing a finger at the door.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, those orders came straight from Mr. Hammond, and unfortunately, he outranks you. There's nothing I can do."

Michelle tries to push herself between the guards, managing to slam her fist against the door a couple of times, shouting, "Brad, you son of a bitch! Get out of there NOW!". The guards grab her and pull her away from the door, ruggedly pushing her away towards the wall and then letting go of her. "BRAD!" she yells again before her back hits the wall.

Inside the interrogation room, Brad and Tony hear her shouting. Annoyed, Brad decides to take care of the disturbance. "I'll give you a few minutes to think over your situation and I'll be right back."

"Brad!" Michelle shouts again and waits.

**Morgan's cabin**

Seeing that Jack is more lucid again, Morgan goes and kneels in front of him so that their eyes meet. "Do you want this to end, Jack? Do you? Just ask and we'll end this here. One bullet is all it takes. End your agony."

Jack raises his head slightly and looks at Morgan. Shivering from the pain and the cold, there's a moment where a part of him thinks: _Yes, kill me_, and his eyes seem to convey that. As if he's aware of that, Jack averts his eyes from Morgan again, not replying, not wanting to give Morgan the satisfaction of seeing him humiliated into begging for mercy. _CTU still might come. And if not, I'll die, but I won't beg him to kill me. He'll keep this up for a while, then my body will give up. It's only a matter of time. And time doesn't matter here._

The irony of his own thoughts escapes him - time had been all that mattered for many years.

"You're a goddamned bastard." Jack utters after a while, his voice full of hatred. "Hope you burn in hell soon, along with your brother."

Morgan grins evily. "You first, Jack. You first." He stands and motions to Ron again, who goes outside, still holding the blowtorch in his right hand.

**Division**

Hammond steps out in the hallway, clearly annoyed by this interruption. "What is it, Michelle?

She glares at him with that are-you-kidding-me look. "Why is Tony in custody?" she hisses angrily.

"We got some new intel at Federal and need to question him further." Hammond replies, his face impassive. "You know this is not uncommon."

"You haven't answered my question. You could have _talked_ to him in the conference room. He was overseeing Jack's mission. Why have you _arrested_ him?"

"Because the intel suggests he has had something to do with planning and execution of these attacks that have taken place today," he is unable to keep the contempt from his voice as a look of disgust washes over his face. "Tony could have been leading Jack into a trap for all we know."

Michelle feels the blood in her veins freeze. Appalled, she glares at Hammond incredulously. "What?" she finally utters.

"You heard me. He's a suspect." he states indifferently.

As if waking up from a trance, Michelle shakes her head slightly. "Based on what?"

"Based on witness reports." Hammond says curtly, not willing to elaborate the source.

"What witnesses?" she presses, not letting go. Anyone implying Tony was a terrorist won't get off easily if she can prevent it.

Hammond leans closer to her, locking his eyes and hers. "Ragen's men." He emphasizes both words, letting the meaning and the implications sink in and linger.

Michelle would laugh out if it wasn't Tony he was talking about. "For god's sake, Brad, Tony was undercover. Don't you see all that this is is payback for ruining their plans? They figured Jack and Tony were working together and now they' re making this up! And you are falling for it."

When he doesn't reply, she sighs and continues. "Brad, I _know_ my husband. He would _never_ conspire with terrorists against this country. Why are you doing this? Please tell me it's not just for the satisfaction of seeing him behind bars... Do you have _any_ hard evidence? Anything other than statements from a few criminals?"

"These men have no reason to lie. They are going to prison. And we cannot let a statement be disregarded just because it was made against someone who was working for us at a given time. Everything has to be thoroughly examined in this situation."

Michelle can't believe the stubbornness Hammond is once again displaying. He is right about the necessity to verify everything, but she is not at all certain if he is actually doing it or just going on assumptions. The latter would be her bet.

**Split Screen **

Audrey Raines is nervously pacing her office, visibly worried. She is holding a pen in her hand and squeezing it, then twirling it, then holding it and twirling it again, but is not really aware of her movements; they seem to be beyond her attention. She glances at the phone on her desk, then her computer screen - no news yet. _It's too early, calm down_, she tells herself, but it is not really helping. / Tony closes his eyes again, only slightly squeezing them in response to Pain's sharp blade that once again rips at his stomach. / Morgan stares at Jack, not letting any emotion reflect in his eyes. Jack returns the stare, ignoring Raul's presence, almost challenging Morgan by the simple reluctancy to avert his gaze.

**Division**

"Why do you think Tony would do this in the first place?" Michelle asks. "Set a trap for Jack, the only friend in the world he's got left? Conspire against Palmer, to get him killed, when he owes him his freedom? Team up with Marie Warner? A terrorist already behind bars? Why would he break her out of prison? Are you going to tell me he has had something to do with the Second Wave operation a few years ago, too? Is it really _that easy_, Brad? Is it that plausible? Do we just blame Tony for everything that goes wrong in this country from now on?" she concludes, her tone more than just sarcastic.

Hammond almost smiles at her comment. "Tony has placed his personal reasons above the country's wellbeing before this." Hammond replies very pointedly. "I'm sure you, more than anyone else, have noticed that he has changed. Maybe he just has changed more than you want to believe... Besides, as far as I know, I'm still running this office and I don't answer to you. I am following the line of investigation that I see as the most probable, given the current intelligence."

Michelle closes her eyes, sighing very deeply. That was just like Hammond, going with the easiest course of action. And who to blame but a convicted traitor? She shudders at that last word of her own thought. Tony should never have been pulled into this whole thing today. "Brad", she says quietly now. "I am asking you to reconsider. In his present condition, Tony should be nowhere but a hospital. Can't you at least hold off on this until he's better?"

"No. The longer we wait, the greater the chance of a new attack. We need to stop them now. All Tony needs to do is tell us what he knows and then we'll release him to a hospital." his voice leaves no room for argument.

She was expecting this. "And what if he _doesn't_ know anything?" she asks.

Hammond doesn't reply. _He knows something and he's bound to tell me sooner or later_, he thinks.

Michelle knows she cannot bring this man to turn around and change his course of action. She just stares at him, thinking about what she could do to prove her husband's innocence.

A while later, Hammond turns on his heels and returns to the interrogation room.

As Hammond walks back inside, Michelle catches a glimpse of Tony, seated at the table. When the door opens, she sees him turn his head towards her and their eyes meet for just a second. There is no time for much unspoken communication before the heavy steel door shuts, but he knows, as he looks in her eyes, that he is the only reason she turned up there, and he is doing his best not to look desperate or hurt. She, on the other hand, is trying to give him some hope, her eyes telling him to hold on, but too soon she loses sight of him once again, separated from her husband by two guards, one heavy security door and one very stubborn bureaucrat.


	22. The Price of Past Deeds

**A/N: First of all: thank you for your wonderful reviews! They're very appreciated and a continuing source of motivation :-)**

A word of warning for those with a somewhat feeble stomach, you might want to skip the very first scene of what happens in **Morgan's cabin**. The situation gets somewhat worse than in season 2, where Jack was interrogated by Ronnie Stark.

So, reader discretion is advised :-). I personally like this chapter a lot, hope you will, too!

-------------------------

**Division interrogation room**

As Hammond closes the door behind him, Tony takes a deep breath and looks at Hammond. "Was it Michelle out there?"

"I think you know." Brad responds flippantly.

"Could I see her, please?" Tony asks sincerely, wishing he could explain the situation to her and get at least a moment's respite from Hammond.

Hammond walks back to the table, eyeing Tony. "No. Nothing else happens until you tell me where the next attack takes place and who else is involved. Either you tell me now or later to people who won't be as lenient as I have been." he voices a veiled threat.

Tony's frustration grows even stronger at Hammond's words, and he feels himself beginning to sweat, his brow getting moist; maybe it's from the heat, maybe from something else. He closes his eyes trying to block out the pain that is intensifying in his body by the minute.

"How many degrees did you have the temperature raised in here? Five, maybe ten?" he asks, knowing the standard interrogation procedures. Not expecting a reply, he continues: "Alright, tell me this. If I was involved in Ragen's plans, why would I want to kill the man who got me pardoned? I'd still be doing twenty years if it wasn't for Jack."

Another look of contempt crosses Hammond's face as he answers: "Money, revenge, disillusionment? You tell me. It's no secret you and Bauer were at odds with each other more than once. Prison changes you, doesn't it?"

_What the hell do you know about prison, huh? _Tony thinks to himself, as he continues listening to Hammond's fatuous theory, his speech that continues without a pause:

"Maybe you saw this as a way to get even. After all, Jack survived the backlash of the events while you went to prison." he sits down in the chair as his monologue finishes.

"Yeah, he survived it alright, with a drug addiction and a job he later lost. Back off!" Tony says with a sarcastic tone.

**Morgan's cabin**

"I already told you about the Iraqi Republican Guards. You know what other method they used?" Morgan asks as Ron comes back into Jack's view again, part of a garden hose, several inches long, in his left hand.

Morgan positions himself in front of Jack and stands there, enjoying the sight of horror in Jack's eyes as it dawns on his victim what is about to happen. "They would drip melted plastic from hoses like this one on prisoners, only to pull it off after it cooled, tearing skin off with it." he says, taking pleasure in explaning this to Jack.

_You son of a bitch_, Jack thinks, glaring at Ron, who is already approaching him. Reflexively, despite himself,

his body attempts to move, wanting to avoid this gruesome torture, but Morgan grabs him by the shoulders and throws him forcefully to the floor. Jack lands on his side, hitting his head on the floor, but not passing out. Morgan rolls him over to his stomach with a foot, then presses his combat boot against the small of Jack's back, pinning him to the floor.

Casting a glance at Ron, Morgan watches with satisfaction as the green plastic melts from the heat of the blowtorch and drips onto Jacks arm. Jack grits his teeth in pain, groaning loudly at the sensation of the hot plastic on his skin, vaguely attempting to save his strength, knowing that what will happen next will without doubt be the worst thing he's ever been through. Ron steps back, waiting.

Several seconds later, when the plastic has solidified on Jack's skin, Raul kneels next to Jack. Morgan watches, emotionless, when Raul suddenly pulls on one of the patches on Jack's arm, the sight accompanied by the sound of the now so familiar pain-filled scream, only ten times louder than before. A wave of agonizing pain is devouring Jack with a violence, an intensity so far unknown to him.

**Division Interrogation**

By now the drugs have completely worn off and Tony is trying to avoid doing anything that might aggravate the pain. He's taking short, superficial breaths, since breathing any more deeply is like a stab to his side and feels like he isn't getting any air. Squeezing his eyes shut to distract his thoughts from the searing pain in his abdomen, he leans his forehead to his palm.

_Think of something else, anything_, he orders himself. Forcefully, his thoughts drift to the shooting at Ragen's compound and everything following it. Tony barely manages to suppress them to the back of his mind.

Hammond is still sitting in the chair opposite him, just watching him. _I could push him, but maybe it won't be necesary. I'll wait just a little longer. But not too long._ he thinks

**Morgan's cabin**

Morgan's cell phone rings and he nods to Ron to give Jack a moment. "Watch Bauer." he says, although it is quite obvious Jack isn't going to go anywhere anytime soon. Walking to a small kitchen corner, he answers the call "What is it ?... No, no. I can't... Are you absolutely sure? OK." Shutting the phone, he turns to his men again.

"Raul, I'm going to go and take care of something, but in order to avoid unnecessary attention, I'm going to go this way." he points to the floor. "Help me open it." he says. Together, he and Raul move the table away several inches, then Raul moves the rug underneath it, and a trap door comes into view. Then, they lift the trapdoor to reveal stairs and a tunnel below.

As Morgan decends, he says to Ron: "I'll be back as soon as I can. Keep Bauer alive, unless he tries to escape." He clearly isn't through with Jack yet.

"You got it." Ron answers with a devilish smirk.

After Morgan has descended into the tunnel, Raul closes the trap door and he and Ron move the furniture back. Both of them then walk back to Jack, looking at his bleeding form.

**Another Government SUV**

A dark-haired woman is sitting in the back of the vehicle, a briefcase and a laptop on the seat next to her. She is wearing a dark skirt with a matching blazer and an off-white blouse. As the vehicle moves deeper into the city, she removes her cell phone from the briefcase, dials a number and puts the phone to her ear, waiting a few moments before speaking. "Mr. Sheldon, this is Rae Platchecky, Inspector General's Office. Would you let Mr. Hammond know I'm on my way to Division right now? I'll be there in twenty minutes... Yes, thank you." She hangs up, and at Division, Steve pushes a comm button, and Dave, outside Interrogation, answers.

**Division Interrogation**

The door opens slightly, and Tony glances at it hopefully, but this time, it's not Michelle standing outside. Hammond, too, turns his head to the door, and seeing Dave, joins him at the door for a moment. Tony just observes them intently, trying to make out their words, but they remain hidden.

"So Tony, are you ready to talk?" Hammond asks, his arms crossed, as he walks back to Tony.

Tony just leans back in the chair, "About what? There is nothing I can tell you that would be enough for you." _Nothing constructive anyway, you son of a bitch_, Tony thinks to himself. He can only hope that Michelle, Chloe, Jack or someone else will find something that will prove his innocence.

**Morgan's cabin**

As Ron reaches for the blowtorch again, he hears a dull thud outside by the door and stops momentarily.

Before he has a chance to nod to Raul to check out the source, the lock is breached with a shotgun. Three Marines expertly enter the cabin, going towards the corners, the first Marine neutralizing Ron and and the second one Raul, with two shots in the chest. The operation is swift and precise, and goes down within seconds of opening the door.

"Clear!" their shouts echo in the empty cabin, as it is determined all the hostiles have been neutralized. "Room Clear." the fireteam leader, named Evans, gives the command and the Marines lower their weapons from the ready position. He then walks to Jack, kneeling down by him, not knowing if he's conscious or possibly even dead, and seeing he's alive, Evans radioes: "Send the Corpsman in here and search the cabin." He then turns to Jack again: "Mr. Bauer, I'm Staff Sergeant Evans, USMC. We're here to get you out." he tells him, while crouching down beside him, making sure Jack can hear him and know they're on his side. Jack looks at him, then closes his eyes briefly and reopens them, as a signal he's heard him._They're here_. Jack realizes, relieved. Evans then cuts the zip-ties around Jack's wrists.

As the pressure upon his wrists is gone, the blood begins to rush to his hands again, causing a feeling of a thousand ants running on his palms. Still on his stomach, his head turned to the side where Evans is now kneeling by him, his injuries are still too fresh to let him move his arms or attempt to turn himself to his back on his own. Instead, he waits for the much appreciated help and attempts to relax, trying to block out the pain, yet hoping for a good shot of painkillers soon, wanting nothing but to have some peace soon.

_Morgan_, he soon remembers and lets his eyes roam the room to his side. The last time Jack saw him, he had walked to the kitchen with the phone to his ear; he never walked back out. As the Marines entered, there were only four shots, Jack only perceived the sounds of two bodies falling to the ground._ He's not here. _Jack concludes.

"You lost Morgan." he utters in a hoarse voice somewhat louder than a whisper, the position his body is in making clear articulation difficult.

Through the background noise, Evans only hears parts of the last word and as the Corpsman, the name Collins engraved on his uniform's nametag, arrives with a couple of men and a stretcher, he replies to Jack: "It's not morning yet. You'll be fine by then." and moves away from Jack, allowing the others to pass.

_We have to find Morgan._ Jack tells himself again. _He can't slip away_. As the men approach him and cautiously turn him to his back, Jack gathers his strength, adrenaline high in his veins, and pulls himself up.

Collins protests: "Mr. Bauer, what are you doing?"

Jack doesn't reply directly to him, but turns to SSgt Evans. "Their leader escaped. I saw him go to the kitchen and disappear just before you came in." he says after drawing a heavy breath.

Evans immediately stands and runs to the kitchen, motioning to his men. "There must be a tunnel in here, find it!"

Jack forces himself to sit up. As he moves his upper body, he groans in pain at the burning sensation on his chest and stomach and looks down at his left arm to assess its state. _Bastard._

"Mr. Bauer-" Collins begins, trying to keep Jack still.

"Later, Corpsman. Right now, I need to do this." He glances towards the kitchen where the Marines are moving the table to the side to look underneath the rug. "Private Jones." Jack reads his name off the nametag. "I need my gun. It's on the chair over there." he says, gesturing to another one of the Marines, who nods and goes over to fetch it. Without further resistance from anyone, Jack makes it to his feet. There's a flash of pain and a momentary black curtain before his eyes, but he steadies himself soon, not allowing weakness to overcome him.

"At least take this." Collins tells him, handing him a bullet-proof vest. Jack's eyes linger on him for just a second, then he thanks him and puts it on, fastening it over his bare chest. Private Jones hands Jack the weapon, Jack quickly checks that it's still loaded and jogs to the kitchen where the trapdoor has been found.

Without saying anything, Jack passes the men before they start descending the stairs and enters the tunnel first.

"Mr. Bauer!" Evans calls after him.

"I'll explain later, Staff Sergeant, but he can't get away." Jack replies, disappearing in the tunnel.

"Radio silence." Evans orders his men and they follow Jack down the steps.

**Division Interrogation**

Tony is painfully aware of every minute that passes. He feels like someone is stomping on his injuries with a pair of combat boots but does his best not to show it. _Don't let them see you bleed. Don't give Hammond the satisfaction of thinking he has won_, he thinks to himself, trying to keep his mind in control of his body, though it is becoming increasingly difficult.

Hammond is standing opposite to Tony and looks at him, becoming more annoyed and angry. He leans in closer to Tony and says. "You're really starting to try my patience. It would be in your best interest to tell me what you know. The more time we waste here not catching your accomplices, the worse your position gets. But then again, you've already been tried for treason, so this would not be anything new for you, except maybe the outcome."

Tony looks him straight in the eye. "I've already told you so many times Brad. So the only thing I could tell you now is something that you want to hear but what isn't true." He leans back in the chair, crossing his arms at his chest, feeling his strength ebb away.

"If this is what you want, so be it. I'm going to give you some more time to think this over in holding cell and after that we'll see. If you still choose to play this game, I have no choice but to get Knoll in here." Hammond presses on, almost sounding like he might be sorry for the turn of events. "And you know what he does. Are you sure you want to subject yourself to that?"

A feeling of dread flashes through Tony's mind as Hammond's words sink in. He knows very well what Knoll does, him being Richards' counterpart at Division. _Knoll? Things just went from bad to worse, Tony. Even if you can handle the things to come in your mind, your body can't._

Hammond lets the guards into the room. "Take him to a cell." he orders.

As they cuff Tony and grab him by the arms, one of the them inadvertently strikes his elbow into Tony's side, hitting his broken ribs, causing him to reflexively bend his upper body a little, the movement viciously reminding him of his gunshot wound. Barely able to suppress a yell, fighting to keep his balance, Tony lets them half lead, half drag him to the cell.

When the door slams to behind him, finally alone without guards or security cameras, Tony lays down on the floor. Moaning in pain, he tries to find a position that would ease the pain but notices that staying still is the best option. He closes his eyes, not wanting to think about what will happen in a while and sinks into a pain filled haze.

**Tunnel under the Cabin**

Jack and the Marines behind him follow the tunnel cautiously, but swiftly, their weapons drawn and ready. Jack reaches the end first and as he exits, he hears footsteps ahead of him and a figure ducks into the bushes. "Morgan, stop! It's over!" he shouts and fires a shot in its general direction, but knows it won't be that easy. He runs to catch up with his opponent.

Morgan stops behind a tree and fires a couple of rounds towards Jack from its cover and then continues running towards a vehicle parked not far away. The Marines catch up with Jack just in time to see him shoot towards Morgan again and hear another round fly towards them from Morgan's position, which hits something. Then, suddenly, quiet ensues as the figure in the distance falls to the ground and no sound comes from there again. Following the dull thud of Morgan's body on the forest floor, just before their eyes, Jack collapses too, his body dropping into the dust.

"Bauer!" SSgt Evans calls out, and as the rest of the men go to find Morgan's body and make sure Jack got him, he stops by Jack's side. Looking down at his chest, he sees a bullet mark in Jack's vest. The bullet would have gone straight through his heart, had it been able to pierce it. "Bauer, can you hear me?"

Getting no reply from Jack, he checks his neck artery, finding a pulse. _OK, so he's only unconscious. _He reaches for his radio again, ordering the Corpsman to their position.

**Michelle's office**

The intercom on her phone rings and she pushes the answer button. "Yes?"

"Michelle, Rae Platchecky is waiting for you in the small Conference Room. You're supposed to answer some questions about the shooting." Steve informs her.

"Fine, I'll be right there."

Steve hangs up, looking upstairs towards her office until he sees the door open and Michelle descend the steps with dignity, slowly. Both of them know it is standard procedure, but both of them are also aware that doing this now is doubtlessly a part of Hammond's distraction mission, to keep her busy and away from Tony, unable to help him.

As Michelle disappears in the Conference Room, Steve's phone rings. "Sheldon."

"It's Hammond. Is Michelle being debriefed yet?"

"Yes, Sir. Ms Platchecky just arrived."

"Good." he answers curtly and is about to hang up as Steve speaks up again.

"Sir, have you found out anything from Tony?"

"No. He's in a holding cell right now. Maybe that will change his mind. Let me know if there is anything new, I'll be in my office. I have to brief the DOD on the latest developments."

"Yes, Sir. I will."

**Outside Morgan's cabin**

The team is now at the cabin with Morgan's dead body in the tow. Jack had been placed on a stretcher and brought back and the Corpsman is now looking after him. The vest is on the ground next to them, and Jack is conscious again. Now, knowing the situation has been handled, he finally allows himself to just lay there and let the man do his work, redress his stab wound, treat the burns, handle the couple of areas of missing skin on his arm. _Luckily it's just the one arm_, it shoots through his head.

After seeing that Jack's injuries are being attended to, SSgt Evans steps out of the cabin and keys his radio: "C&C, this is Sierra 2-5. The operation was successful, three hostiles neutralized, no friendly casualties. Location is secure."

"Roger that, 2-5. Will relay. Well done. Over and Out."

**Division Holding Cell**

The cell is tiny, four feet by eight, even smaller than a regular prison cell, and completely dark. If Tony cared to look around and if the illumination were a little better, he would see a bed, if it could be called that, at one side wall of the cell, consisting solely of a metal frame with an equally solid steel panel as support for the thin foam mattress and would do nothing for his comfort if he had chosen to lay down on it instead of the concrete floor. Just like the table in the interrogation room, the legs of the bed were built into the concrete, so no man locked up in here could try and use the bedframe as a weapon. No toilet bowl and no wash basin are in the cell; it had either not been designed to accommodate prisoners for long or it had been designed that way purposely, for their highest discomfort and humiliation. Otherwise, the walls are bare and grey; the sight of them would be depressing if the bright neon light were on.

But it is not. Lying in the dark cell, Tony is once again consumed by the vivid memories of his months in prison. Disoriented, he believes that he is back there and that it is only a question of time when he will be beaten by the others; the guards, the prisoners, it didn't matter - everyone seemed to hate him.

The guards never cared, turning a blind eye to what happened to him. To them he was a Fed who had gone over to the other side, worse yet, a traitor, the worst kind of a criminal, working against his own country.

_No, don't go there!_

Tony forces himself to open his eyes, drudgingly pulling himself to a sitting position, feeling the blood seeping through the dressings again, he vigilantly watches the faint shadows on the walls, his heart rate rising from the tension, sweat covering his forehead.

Shaking his head to literally yank the agonizing thoughts out of his mind, he forces himself to get up, fighting the burning pain and stagger to the barred door of the holding cell, looking out to convince himself this is not a federal prison. _Get a grip on yourself, Almeida. You can't allow yourself to lose focus now_, he tells himself.

He struggles to turn his thoughts to the reality._ You got out, Almeida. Jack bailed you out. It's okay. You'll get through this as well._

**Division Conference Room**

Rae and Michelle are both seated at the table, they're alone. A tape recorder, a quiet note-taker, is on the tabletop; its steady, soft humming the only background noise. Michelle is nervous, but it has nothing to do with Rae's questions. Rae has taken off her blazer, her expression is friendly, but earnest.

"So, you created the diversion in order to get into the apartment. What happened then?"

"Marie opened the door and I made it inside. There was a standoff while we talked, and she recognized me, probably from the files on our servers she had had access to. She remembered CTU handling her case before she was sent to jail."

"Tony was involved in her case back then, is that right?" Rae interrupts.

"Yes. We were both involved."

"And Marie Warner had held him hostage earlier today? And blown his cover during the Ragen mission?"

"Yes." Michelle confirms.

Rae leans towards Michelle, looking her in the eye. "As you were standing there, in her hideout, both of you with guns drawn, what were your intentions?"

Michelle pauses for a moment, holding Rae's stare, waiting.

"I didn't plan to kill her, if that's what you mean." she finally replies.

**Division Holding Cell**

By now, Tony managed to convince himself the MSU was in the past and his thoughts turned to the current situation. _Hammond wants you to admit your guilt, and to be honest you might soon be at the point where you'd say anything to make the pain stop. You could not take another interrogation session._

Tony's sides and abdomen are feeling like someone is slowly turning a hot carving knife. The only regret in his mind is that he had not stopped the individuals really responsible. He'd failed, just like he did with Saunders. And now his guilty conscience suddenly seems to hurt more than his injuries. _You've failed them, Almeida. You've failed the people who trusted you. You've failed Jack. You'd promised to see this through. You've failed Michelle. You said you'd step down if things got worse. You didn't. If you had, Hammond wouldn't have gotten to you. You've failed Palmer. You owe him your freedom. Now Jack is on his own out there and they might both die. You're a failure, Almeida. Hell, you deserve what you're getting. _

Not having any strength left, he leans his back against the cold concrete wall of the tiny cell and slowly sags down, closing his eyes. His weary mind, too tired to fight, gives in to the flashbacks once again.

**Outside Morgan's cabin**

While the Corpsman works, he looks at Jack occasionally, making sure he's still with him. "That was one hell of an act of bravery, Bauer. I'm amazed your body allowed you to get that far before it gave up on you."

Jack smiles slightly, saying: "I was just doing my job, Collins." and gets a smile in return.

He glances at the vest on the ground, the bullet mark in it, then he finds the man's eyes. "Thank you." he says sincerely. "It saved my life."

"Just doing my job." Collins replies.

**DOD**

At the DOD, a meeting is in the process. The SecDef is speaking to his entire staff on duty, Audrey is seated behind him. The room is large and packed with people. Pete Hanson, the young man who had been Tony's helper earlier in the day is next to Michael Burton, both of them listening attently to Heller.

"It is my pleasure to inform you that the operation I sanctioned was successful - Jack Bauer has been rescued. He is safe. Dan Morgan and his men were killed in the process."

Someone begins to clap their hands in one corner of the room and soon, others join in, the actions resulting in supporting applause. "The applause goes out to our men in the USMC, they did a great job." Heller smiles and looks at Audrey, who wipes a happy tear from the corner of her eye. He then speaks up again, over the continuing applause. "But... Please..."  
The room gradually goes silent again. "The danger hasn't passed yet. CTU Field Ops are still on assignment in Carson, the attack on the refinery hasn't been prevented yet. We should all do our best to give CTU our continuing and full support until the crisis has passed." He pauses to let the words take effect; some of the people in the room nod supportively. "So let's get back to work." he finishes and turns to Audrey, taking her hand as his staff begin to head out of the room.

**Division**

Steve is on the phone to Chloe, checking the status of the refinery operation. He hangs up, then glances to Michelle's empty office, then towards the conference room. _This isn't right._ he thinks. _It's not right that she has to answer for killing a ruthless terrorist when her own husband is being treated like one._ It is Hammond's decision, obviously, and if his rookie months at Division have taught Steve one thing, it's the chain of command, yet they haven't quite managed to dull his sense of right or wrong. _I should tell her they threw Tony in a cell. She should know what they're doing to him. _he tells himself again, but then his phone rings again and he picks it up, sighing to himself.

**Division Holding Cell**

Tony suddenly hears the door opening. He can only distinguish the outline of the person standing at the door, the light from the corridor making him squint his eyes. _No, this isn't happening. No, not again_! Tony's mind screams at him as Dave hauls him up from the floor and cuffs him, making him moan quietly in pain.

"No, don't do this." Tony says to Mitch who is waiting outside the door to grab his other arm and take him to the interrogation room. Mitch just glares at Tony with contempt in his eyes, gripping his arm like a vice. Tony tries to resist them, but already weakened from his encounter with Ragen and the previous interrogation, he is no match for two trained guards.

His heart rate increased steadily as they got closer to the interrogation room, the anxiety wrapping him stronger and stronger into his grip. _Hammond will not let go until he has what he wants. In his eyes you are guilty until proven innocent,_ the pounding in his head kept reminding him and Tony knew what awaited him.

Hammond is pacing the interrogation room. _Almeida better wisen up. One way or another, you'd better tell what you know. And soon. The rest of the remaining members can strike any time now.,_ he ponders._ He's our only lead._

Brad watches the guards bring Tony in, and as they are about to sit him down it the chair, he barks an order at them: "No. Cuff him to the pole there." he says to them. Knowing Tony is already hurting, Hammond decides to make use of his condition to get him to talk.

As Tony's secured, Hammond gives him an inquisitory glance. "You've had some time to think. Are you ready to tell me what you know, or do we have to continue this charade?" he asks Tony.

"Look, Brad, I can't tell you something I do not know!" Tony responds, tired. He also knows Hammond is like a bulldog, not going to let go until he gets what he wants. He saw that during the investigation into his actions during the day he was shot.

He doesn't want to think of the events that happened later that day; when everything came crashing down.

Feeling the pain from his injuries intensify again, he closes his eyes for a couple of seconds and sighs.

Hammond notices this and walks closer to Tony, his face inches from Tony's. "You're just making your situation worse. Eventually you _will_ tell me, it's just a question of how soon. And if you keep this up, you will not avoid the death penalty this time." he whispers menacingly.

Tony looks at Hammond straight in the eye. "I've told you everything I know. Give me a polygraph, or ask Jack. Did you check the surveillance? It shows you I'm telling the truth." He's already getting slightly desperate. Talking to Hammond now is like talking to walls.

"Ragen _had _no surveillance on the compound." Hammond lies, not admitting that he had decided not to bother checking it. "And as for the polygraph, I can do that with a petty criminal, but not with you, Almeida. So..." Hammond takes two steps back and eyes Tony. "Are we gonna do this the hard way or do you want to make this easy on yourself? I _know_ you were involved. I've got evidence. Tell me about your accomplices and stay alive, Almeida... If more attacks take place, I will personally make sure that the only way you'll leave prison is in a coffin." Hammond pauses, letting his words sink in.

_I'm sure you will, you bastard. I let you down when I left prison alive the first time. _

Hammond then resumes. "What about Michelle? You want her to visit your grave in a couple of months?"

"You son of a bitch! Leave her out of this, you've put her through hell already." Tony shouts. If not for the cuffs restraining him, he would have decked Hammond on the spot. Hating and pestering him was fine, he could live with that. But doing something to Michelle... _She hasn't done anything to Hammond_, Tony thinks.

Hammond smirks as Tony attempts to come closer, but instead his body just awkwardly moves half a step away from the pole and is then forced back by the cuffs. Leaning back against the pole, Tony tries to shift his weight to make things more bearable.

**Division Conference Room**

Steve knocks on the door and enters. Rae and Michelle both turn to him, Rae stopping the recording.

Michelle stands and takes a couple of steps towards him. "Steve, what's going on?"

"Sorry to interrupt. CTU just called in. The attack at the refinery has been prevented. The teams were successful. Casualties were minimal."

"What about environmental pollution?" Michelle asks, concerned.

"None."

"That's great." she utters, relieved.

"There's a briefing scheduled in three minutes, with Erin Driscoll, Secretary Heller and the President. They're expecting you to be there, too."

"All right. Thanks." she agrees, then turns to Platchecky. "Rae, I need to step out for a while. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay, I'll wait."

**Division Interrogation **

The increasing difficulties Tony has staying upright were not lost on Hammond. "What is it, Almeida? Your injuries bothering you?"

He reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out the bottle of medication Tony had been given by Dr. Burke. "I'll give you your painkillers, just tell me what I want to know. Give me a few names, locations, so we can catch these people. What are their next targets? Come on... I'll give you three seconds, then I'm calling Knoll."

"I don't know." Tony responds, not knowing what to do. There has to be something, somewhere that can prove his innocence.

"Fine, if that's what you want. " Hammond walks to the intercom, almost looking sorry. "Send Knoll in." He waits a couple of seconds before the door opens and a light haired man, dressed in black, a dark framed pair of eye glasses on his nose, walks in, carrying a briefcase in his hand.

"Brad, whatever evidence you got, it is not true. I have not seen any of these people before today, let alone conspired with them." Tony tries to reason. Seeing Knoll set up a syringe, his mind is becoming more and more alarmed. _I can't go through with this_, he ponders. If he hadn't been injured earlier, maybe, but like this...

"We'll see." Hammond states indifferently.

Tony's pulse is rising as the insidious yellowish liquid fills up the empty space in the plastic tube. _Stop there... there... stop there..._ he mentally pleads with the liquid as its levels rise, begging for the first dose to be small. _The gods are against you Almeida_, he sourly concludes as the drug completely fills the syringe, only a small space of air remaining between the liquid and the needle.

"I'm sure I don't need to explain the effects of this drug to you Almeida. But I will anyway."

Hammond takes the syringe from Knoll and holds it a few inches away from Tony's face. "This powerful compound will enter your nervous system and excite your neurons, raising your neurotransmitter levels to the extent you will feel your entire body burn. It will not kill you, and won't cross your blood-brain barrier, so you'll be able to tell me whatever relieves your mind - but its effects won't completely wear off for quite a while. You don't want to subject yourself to that, do you?"

Tony just glares at Hammond, holding his stare, but doesn't reply, really knowing there is nothing more he _can_ say. Hammond then returns the syringe to Knoll: "Begin."

"Don't do this. I've told you everything I know." Tony utters again but Hammond pays no attention to his words and Knoll is already by the side of the pole.

"No! NO!" Tony tries to struggle against Knoll, but in vain. The needle is pushed into Tony's neck and its contents quickly emptied there.

Tony gasps as the compound hits his nerves. He sags to the floor, moaning in agony, forgetting to breathe for a few seconds, just attempting to alleviate the tightness in his chest. The drug in his blood has sharpened his sensory neurons to the point that his gun shot wound is feeling fresh again; the pain in his abdomen is excruciating and yet he can do nothing to end it.

"Get up!" Hammond orders, knowing all too well that Tony is no longer in control of his motor neurons for the time being. He nods to Knoll, who grabs violently under Tony's arms and pulls him up to his feet, causing him to yell out in pain as his injured torso is forced to stretch. Knoll then grabs him by the hair, directing his face in Hammond's direction.

Hammond approaches Tony to just a few inches from his face, lowering his voice to a menacing whisper. "I will go as far as I have to to get this information out of you. I've got your fingerprints all over the compound, including some of the laptops and canisters just like those they used for the attack at the LA Music Center. Now tell me why that is so if you had nothing to do with the attacks?"

Gasping in pain, Tony can hardly speak. "I.. I tried to hack into the files on the computers... to find out where the next attack was going to happen... I wrote it in the report….. I found the canisters in the armory... I didn't know what they were."  
_Oh please let this end soon._ Tony pleads inwardly. Shivering in pain, he closes his eyes, bordering on unconsciousness. Still, the compound in his system does not allow him that relief; it keeps circulating in his veins, feeling like it's eating him up inside.

Hammond gives another nod, and Knoll lets go of Tony, whose body once again lowers itself to the floor and comes to rest on his knees. "I don't believe you Almeida."

Tony is blinking rapidly, trying to stop his vision from blurring even more.

_Goddamn it, Almeida. I need to break him. But if we push him too hard, we're gonna lose the information. Let's hope the drug does its job. For now._

"Talk to me Almeida. There is an antidote for the drug. Tell me about Camp Pendleton. You lured Jack into a trap. Why? Money? Revenge? Did he disappoint you in any way?"

"I didn't lure him into a trap." Tony says, staring at Hammond, as adamantly as he can, through the pressure building up in his head. He blinks away a veil of pain before his eyes, taking a slow breath before continuing, his voice slightly more than a loud whisper. "I tried to stop the attack."

Hammond crosses his arms at his chest, keeping his eyes on Tony, shaking his head. Tony looks down at the floor, focusing on his breathing for a moment, trying to imagine Michelle's pretty face before his eyes. _Stay with me, honey, please help me._ he asks her. As if drawing strength from her imagined presence, he then lifts his eyes towards Hammond again. "Jack backed me up through everything you threw at me, you bastard. There is no reason for me to want him killed." he says quietly and leans against the pole.

Annoyed, Hammond sits back on the chair. "So what about the phone call? You were supposed to call CTU with the information, you called Jack directly. You circumvented authority on purpose! You were given specific orders and chose not to follow them. You knew that Jack would lead the field team and that Ragen's men would take them out! We lost six men because of you!"

_I don't believe this. _"I didn't have time!" he almost manages a shout but then reconsiders wasting too much energy and lowers his voice again but keeps it persuasive. "The attack was going to take place in the next half hour, I needed to get the information to Jack directly. I couldn't waste valuable time going through CTU just so that their logs would show every step of the operation."

"You had specific orders, Almeida! That's why we have protocols!"

Tony shakes his head in despair. "The back up field team wouldn't even have been airborne in time. I needed to make that call there and then and not to wait to be caught by Ragen's men, just because some rookie analyst at CTU wouldn't listen!"

He hangs his head, trying to relax, forcing himself to breathe. His reasoning left him breathless and now he becomes aware of his increased heart rate and an intense pounding in his head. Closing his eyes again, trying to control his heartbeat, Tony wryly thinks: _He's a damn bureaucrat. What the hell does he know about running CTU in a crisis!_ Another wave of pain hits him, causing another moan to escape him. _Oh god, this hurts. What can I say to make this stop?_ He knows there is nothing he _can_ say except lie. And lying would mean going back to prison, which he will not do.

**Division**

The briefing is short, and when it finishes, Michelle steals a moment to make a phonecall. From the privacy of her office, the doors and blinds closed, she dials a number.

Jack's cell phone rings inside the van outside the house. Jack recognizes the ringer tone and asks one of the men to bring him the phone, which is quickly done.

"Bauer." Jack picks up, now sitting on the stretcher, on the ground, a styrofoam cup of water in his hand.

Michelle is relieved to hear his voice on the other end. "Jack, it's Michelle. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. What's going on?" he asks, reading the urgency from her voice.

"Tony is in serious trouble, Jack. Hammond has been questioning him for a long time now, he's in custody."

"What? On what grounds?"

"Brad claims Tony was involved in the Camp Pendleton attack, that he was _de facto_ working with Ragen. Jack, he's going to charge him with treason again."

"What a son of a bitch. He knows Tony would be executed this time."

"Jack, you've got to get him out. He couldn't deal with that again." _And neither could I_, she admits to herself.

"I know. I will." he promises her and himself. "But we've got to prove it."

She gets up from the table, and briefly looks out the glass walls of her office. "We don't have any proof." Her voice sounds defeated, like she truly believes there is nothing she can do to help.

"Does Hammond?"

"He has a witness who claims that Tony was coordinating the attack."

Jack realizes he has to start moving. He pulls on a sweatshirt that someone gave him earlier, getting up. "Where is this witness?"

"Brad went to interrogate some of Ragen's men at Federal. After he came back, he took Tony into custody."

"I need the name of his main witness, I'll deal with him myself. Hammond won't get away with this. He must know the man was lying."

"I tried to talk to him, Jack. He wouldn't listen."

"Look, I'll take care of this."

"Thank you, Jack."

"There's nothing to thank me for. Tony's my friend, I owe him that much.You just make sure he's okay. All right?"

"I'll try. Hammond wants me debriefing with Platchecky right now."

**Division, Interrogation**

A voice resounds from the loudspeakers in the room. "Mr. Hammond."

Brad nods to Knoll. "Watch him." and walks to the door, leaving the room.

Thankful for the momentary break, Tony closes his eyes, resting his entire weight on his legs, bent underneath him. His breathing is shallow and painful, there's a sting in his lung every time he tries to take a deep breath. A genuine fear overcomes him that he will slowly suffocate as he can't get enough air. _Is this how it ends, slowly suffocating to death? Oh, God, please make this stop._

He squeezes his eyes firmly; all he can do is hope that things will end quickly, he is already very aware it is not going to be painless - quite the opposite.

Outside the interrogation room, Hammond sees Steve waiting for him. "What is it, Steve? I can't waste time here." Hammond asks.

"Sir, I'm sorry about the interruption, but there's something that you need to see." Steve utters apologetically.

"Show me."

Steve opens up the file in his hand, showing Hammond a photo of a dead man. "This man, Diego Valdez, was found dead at Ragen's compound. By the looks of it, it seems like he had been executed. It does not appear our agents killed him, more likely it was Ragen."

"So what are you trying to tell me? A gangster killed a gangster, why should I care?"

Steve turns to page two, pointing his finger at a yellow mark on the sheet. "Valdez served time at Lompoc Federal."

Hammond slowly raises his eyes to meet Steve's. "So did Almeida."

"Yes. At around the same time." Steve nods, very aware that bringing this to Hammond now will aggravate Tony's situation, but he also knew he couldn't just bury this connection somewhere in a drawer, not even for Michelle's sake. _This job is what has to be done, unfortunately._

"Thank you Steve. Good work."

"Yes Sir." Steve remains standing, averting his eyes from his boss, then leading them to a wall, and eventually, the floor.

Hammond turns to leave but then stops. "Does Michelle know about this?"

"No, Sir. I assumed you wouldn't want me to tell her."

"I don't. Make sure she doesn't find out."

"Yes, Sir."

Hammond opens the door, walking back inside the interrogation room. During those couple of seconds, Steve manages to catch a glimpse of the faintly-lit room, and notices Tony's figure on the floor, leaned to a pole, obviously in huge agony. Never having taken part in an interrogation, the image before his eyes is disturbing and he notices himself feeling honestly sorry about Tony's fate.

With a regular terrorist, he is sure his emotions would be different, but he had worked closely with Tony for the past few hours, almost a day, seen his commitment to the mission and now apparently, Tony was supposed to have been working against them all the time. _That's hard to believe_. _But who am I to decide? Things like this do happen, after all_, he attempts to convince himself.

**CTU / Morgan's van**

Jack, having climbed inside Morgan's van, the one he'd been brought to the location in, starts the engine and begins to drive down the hill, back towards the highway. He digs his cell phone out of his pocket with his right hand, holding the steering wheel in place with his left forearm, not wanting to use his fingers and strain a muscle unnecessarily. He hits a speed dial button, then the speaker one and puts the phone in a cell phone adapter, grabbing the wheel again with his hand.

"CTU, O'Brien?" he hears on the other end.

"Chloe, it's Jack. Listen, I need a favor." he says outright, not wasting time.

"Glad you made it. I'm listening."

**Division Interrogation**

Inside the room, Hammond remains standing by the door after he closes it, just eyeing Tony for a few seconds.

Tony lifts his head towards Brad, whose expression betrays that something disturbing must have surfaced and Tony can read him. _What else can go wrong today?_

"Tell me about Diego Valdez." Hammond starts.

"Who?" Tony asks, puzzled.

"Diego. Valdez." Hammond repeats the name, accentuating the words. "Looks like he was found dead at the compound."

_Is he going to pin this on me now, too! _"That's the first time I've ever heard that name. It doesn't say anything to me."

"Really?" Hammond starts pacing the room. "Frankly, I'm disappointed, I was expecting a little more emotion from you, after all you should know him. You and him were prison buddies."

"What!"

"You heard me. He was on Ragen's team. You're both Hispanics, you must have associated. Which makes me believe he dropped you a line and you joined in."

_I don't believe this. Is the whole world against me today? _

"I wasn't exactly popular in prison, Brad. I spent most of my days in solitary confinement, or in a separate cell block because the inmates knew I was a Federal Agent. You've seen my records, I'm sure."

"That doesn't mean you weren't able to make friends among your peers. So you better start talking, Almeida, or I'm going to have to change gears here."

"How in the hell could have I known about any of this? I wasn't even supposed to be anywhere near this today. It was by chance that Jack asked me for help. I wouldn't be involved in this op if I didn't think I owed it to Jack to help him."

Hammond shakes his head. "You're not stupid. You knew that when a national crises emerges, Jack would feel compelled to go back in the field and if shit hit the fan, who would he turn to but the only person he thought he could trust: you." He pauses for a moment, approaching Tony, then stops, towering over him. "So don't tell me you knew nothing about this, I have enough evidence to bring you behind bars and have you executed. Start talking. This is the last time I am going to ask you nicely."

Tony lets out a very long sigh before answering. "I've already told you _everything_ I know." His words are both sincere and desperate, each word emphasized. His weakened body and weary mind are already anticipating another shot of the burning liquid, even before he ends the sentence. He lets his eyes sink to the floor, not wanting to watch Knoll prepare a doubtlessly larger syringe of the drug.

"You're stubborn, I'll give you that." Hammond nods to Knoll, who doesn't take a syringe but a stun gun from his collection of torture devices and approaches Tony.

"You'd better tell what you know, it's only going to get worse." Hammond interjects from the side.

"I don't _know_ anything." Tony whispers and lifts his head. Hundreds of red lights start flashing in his alarmed brain as his eyes catch the sight of the stun gun, the threat all too tangible and horrifying at the same time. "Brad, don't do this." There is no way to anticipate the effects of the electrical current in combination with the drug and he knows it all too well.

Unperturbed, Hammond takes a step back, letting Knoll pass.

Wordlessly, Knoll kneels next to Tony and rips his shirt open, then puts the stun gun on Tony's wound and shocks him for a couple of seconds.

Tony screams as the electricity courses through him, the drug in his system only intensifying the effect. His chest is about explode from the pain his screams cause, his heart racing in an irregular beat a thousand miles a minute. The large muscles in his arms and legs are screaming for oxygen as the electricity violently shreds them, as if they were ripped from the bones and tendons. _I am not going to survive this,_ is his last thought as he sinks into blissful unconsciousness.

Hammond not so much as blinks as he watches Tony's body awkwardly twist in response to the millions of volts shaking it violently, and then slump sidewards, motionless.

"Wake him up." he tells Knoll.

Obediently, Knoll walks over to his case, then back to Tony, snapping an ampoule of ammonia under his nose, causing him to awaken. Tony coughs while the severe pain hauls him back to the cruel world again, the coughing only hurting him more. His body is feeling like it's been run over, everything hurts. He moans quietly for some time, while slowly regaining consciousness.

He attempts to lie down, to give his body a somewhat acceptable position, but finds it very hard since it means twisting his arms behind him, his entire body weight pulling on his shoulders and elbows. Despite his efforts to keep his sight clear and remain lucid in his head, his vision is increasingly becoming blurred and suddenly, he feels overwhelmingly nauseous. Not having eaten anything for hours, it is bile that he throws up.

The dry heaving of his stomach pulls on his injured torso even more. He lets out a painful groan, pressing his forehead on the cold floor, hoping to relieve the pain.

**CTU / Morgan's van**

"All right, Jack. I'll check the files on Ragen's laptops, if there is video material on there, I'll find it. If that doesn't work, I'll try to log into the system on the compound remotely, there has to be a way to prove where Tony was at the time."

"Thank you, Chloe. Please hurry."

"I know, I will. Where can I find you?"

"I'm heading off to Federal right now, I'm going to talk to that witness of Hammond's. You can reach me on my cell phone, but if you find any evidence, contact Michelle first."

"Okay. Good luck."

"To you too."

**Division Interrogation**

Standing above Tony's head, disgusted at the vomit right by his feet, Hammond utters: "Ready to talk yet?"

Unable to take a breath long enough to allow him to answer, Tony doesn't force himself to, knowing it's useless anyway. He just attempts to lay as still as he can, hoping to recollect some strength.

"Fine, then we'll continue." _He's close to his breaking point. This won't take that long any more_, Hammond surmises.

Knoll steps to Tony again and this time puts the stun gun to his neck, keeping it there for a longer time as he activates it.

Tony screams, the sound bouncing off the walls of the cold, life-devouring room, the electricity shredding his nerve endings raw. Shaking, he struggles against the cuffs that cut deeper into the already bleeding flesh of his wrists, the awkward position he's laying in is putting an additional heavy strain on his arms. As the shocks end after what seems like minutes, Tony is lying on the floor, his knees pulled to his chest, in a vain attempt to soothe the pain that is omnipresent and all-consuming.

He hears Hammond's footsteps approaching and knows that he has a couple of seconds at best to say something before it all starts again.

"Stop, please..." he utters, his voice breaking from the pain. Tony forces himself to open his eyes and look at the heartless man towering above him, hoping his eyes will convey what his words have been unable to. "I know nothing..."

A cough escapes him, then a pain-filled groan, and he forces himself agian to whisper, "Please, no more", wishing Hammond would finally believe him and end things here.

Annoyed, Hammond turns away from Tony and steps towards the table in the room, speaking while shaking his head. "I've heard enough of the lies, Almeida. How long do you want to subject yourself to this? Just tell me where to find your accomplices and this ends immediately. I don't want to waste my time anymore than you want to remain here with Knoll. Just talk. Talk to me, now."

Having said this, Brad takes a seat at the table, his eyes resting on Tony's shape on the floor. "Damn it Almeida, I _need_ this information out of you."

Tony struggles to catch a breath deep enough to speak. "I wasn't working with them." Every rise of his chest costs him an enormous effort now and feels like climbing a mountain 10'000 feet high. "Check the tapes..." Speaking is becoming increasingly harder as his throat has completely dried out and the feeling of nausea is getting worse by the minute. "Surveillance..." he finishes, his voice trailing off. _Ragen wasn't stupid. I don't believe he didn't have surveillance on the compound, the only explanation is that Hammond just didn't want to look. He's so sure I'm guilty that he doesn't care what happens_.

"Don't tell me how to do my job." Hammond utters, raising his voice slightly. He gets up from the chair, walking away. "Knoll." Brad says simply, knowing he'll be understood.

Knoll, having anticipated this, goes to Hammond and talks to him quietly. "Sir, he can't take this much longer. You'll have to let him recover for a while or this _will_ kill him."

Hammond glares at Knoll for a second, then wordlessly walks away, punching in a code at the door, and stepping to the observation room. After slamming the door shut, he looks angrily at Knoll. "What are you thinking? It's not your job to question my decisions and most certainly not in front of a prisoner! I need this information and I need it now. You'll go back in there and do what I tell you or I'll find someone else who will."

Knoll shakes his head. "He cannot take this for long in his present condition. If you still choose to continue, at least have someone from Medical here... Are you sure he hasn't told you everything? I've broken a lot of people with less coercion."

"Fine. Let's get a doctor in here." Hammond agrees, not responding to Knoll's question. He was never required to explain himself to his subordinates and he isn't going to start now.

**Division Conference Room**

Michelle has come back from the briefing, and her debrief has already continued. Platchecky jots down a note, then puts out a question, one of many already posed and certainly only one of many to come.

"All right... As you killed the third of Marie's men, what did you do?"

"I ran out of the building. Called CTU in, asking for an LAPD unit." Michelle replies calmly.

Platchecky looks her in the eye, questioningly. "Why didn't you call for back up earlier?"

Michelle lets out a frustrated sigh. "Rae, we've already covered this. There was no-one available. Everyone was dealing with the LAMC attack, which is why I went out there in the first place."

**Division Interrogation**

Knoll returns to the interrogation room, with Dr. Burke behind him. Shocked to see Tony on the floor, Burke steps into the room, glaring at Hammond for a second before finding his words. "What's Agent Almeida doing in here? He should be nowhere else but at the clinic, or possibly in the office as he requested. He's in no condition to be interrogated." His words are angry and directed at Hammond but he approaches Tony.

Hammond blocks Dr. Burke's path, looking him in the eye. "He's no Agent. He's a traitor. We have a live lead that we need to follow and he is refusing to cooperate. So... All I need you to do is make sure he stays alive long enough to talk. I need to break him. If you want to help him, talk some sense into him, not that it'll be of much use."

Dr. Burke doesn't reply, just staring at Hammond with fire in his eyes, and as Brad moves out of his way, he goes to Tony, kneeling next to him. "Tony? Tony, can you open your eyes for me?" he asks softly while checking Tony's pulse. Tony tiredly forces his bloodshot eyes open. "You need to tell him what you know. Your body can't keep this up for long." Burke says to him.

"I already have." Tony responds quietly, his voice coarse. Closing his eyes again, squeezing them shut tightly, he lies there, wishing for something - anything - to put him out of his misery.

Burke checks Tony's eyes with his penlight to see that his pupils are still normal. He then turns to Hammond from his position on the floor. " I need to have him uncuffed so that I can examine him more thoroughly."

"No." Hammond replies. "He stays where he is. He's too dangerous to be uncuffed."

"He's not a danger in this condition." Burke retorts, exasperated. "He can't even stand!"

"All I need is to know that we can continue this and fast."

"Yes, you can continue for now, but I must protest. He is in no condition to withstand long-term interrogations." Burke replies, moving away reluctantly. He isn't sure what he can do to stop Hammond from continuing this interrogation

"Thank you." Hammond says in a slightly sarcastic tone. He approaches Tony and pulls him up from the floor holding him by his shoulders, leaving him to lean against the pole, in a sitting position. "Almeida, you son of a bitch, tell me what you know."

"I've _told _you everything I know." Tony whispers, his throat dry. _I can't give you information I don't have. I would have told you all of that ages ago, if I knew it, voluntarily_, he thinks." I don't know what else to tell you besides that I have no information."

"I can't believe this. You have a history of misbehavior, from withholding information vital to investigations to the extent of drugging Ryan Chappelle to oblivion; I've got a dead ex-con on Ragen's team who could have shared a cell with you, for all we know; your prints everywhere in the compound, another convicted traitor in the mix, a statement indicating your involvement in the Camp Pendleton mission, your insubordination as you bypassed CTU to communicate with Jack and you're still telling me that you were not involved? God, Almeida, you're either really too sure of yourself or you're sure that I'm stupid enough to believe you. Well: I don't believe you." Hammond sighs, getting up. "We'll continue, then." he finishes and nods to Knoll.

Tony does not react, too drained to even argue. How can you convince a bulldog to let go off a bone? He concentrates on trying to take one breath after the next.

Knoll walks to him again and presses the stun gun to his neck, activating it. Tony screams, but after a couple of seconds of fiery pain, he feels a crushing sensation in his chest and then everything goes dark.

Tony's body slumps forward and remains motionless. Hammond waits for Tony to move, but as it doesn't happen within a few seconds, he kneels next to him and puts a finger to Tony's neck artery to see if he feels a pulse.

Nothing.

Hammond lifts his eyes towards Burke, uttering: "He's dead."


	23. A Lease on Life, A Threat of Death

**Thanks for your reviews, they really keep me going:D**

* * *

**Division Interrogation**

"Uncuff him!" Hammond yells at Knoll.

Knoll grabs the keys to the cuffs and uncuffs Tony, laying him on the ground as Burke shoves Hammond out of the way. "Goddamn it! I told you you shouldn't have continued." he yells at Hammond, as he places the electrodes of the automatic defibrillator on Tony's chest. Seeing Tony has no heartbeat at all, he starts chest compressions.

"Just bring him back." Hammond says, "We can't lose him. I want that information out of him."

"See, that's one thing I don't understand about you people. How can you worry only about information? You just killed a man!" Burke exclaims, while still working on Tony.

"He was a traitor and a convict and would have gotten the death penalty this time anyway. All I care about right now is getting the information."

Aloud, Burke counts the number of compressions, but his mind is in a turmoil. _Come on Tony, don't you give up on me. I am not going to tell your wife that you died because of this inconsiderate bastard. She was afraid she already lost you earlier today. Don't do this, Tony._

"Why don't you just use the defibrillator?" Hammond asks, slightly annoyed.

Burke would roll his eyes at the comment if the situation wasn't so dire. "Because his heart has stopped, that's why! _you idiot_, Burke adds in his mind. "You need at least an irregular heartbeat for the defibrillation to work. Now shut the hell up and let me do my job!" he yells .

"Come on Tony, breathe. Goddamn it!" Burke keeps pumping Tony's chest.

**Division Conference Room**

"Okay, Michelle, this is all I need. Do you have anything to add to your statement?" Platchecky asks as she sets her biro on the desk.

"No. That's all I have to say." Michelle answers, relieved. _I need to get to Tony as soon as possible._

"Okay, thank you." Rae stops the recorder and starts packing her things.

"All right." Michelle remains seated for a moment, silent, then speaks up. "Uhm, Rae, do you think you could you stay on for a while?"

"Certainly, what's happening?" she asks, stopping what she was doing. "Who do you want me to talk to?"

Michelle stands, ready to leave the room. "Please just wait here. I'll let you know."

**LA Federal**

Jack has just arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown L.A. Luckily, the 101 was not crowded with traffic and the drive from the outskirts of West LA didn't take as long as it would have during rush hour. He parks the black van of Morgan's outside the building at the corner of Alameda and Aliso Streets. Inside, he presents himself at the guard's booth, ID-ing himself. The guard takes Jack's ID, scans it and verifies it in the database. "Please look in here." he then tells Jack, motioning to an iris scanner and Jack complies. A couple of seconds later, Jack's bio and photo show up on the screen in the guard's booth and the guard returns Jack's ID to him. Jack hands over his weapon, phone and wallet and after clearing security, he asks to speak to the Warden.

When Warden Russel gets there, Jack shakes his hand and ID's himself to him. "Jack Bauer. Department of Defense."

"Mr. Bauer." The Warden eyes Jack and compares his face to the ID for a couple of seconds, seconds in which Jack increasingly becomes impatient. Then, he finally speaks again "What can I do for you?"

"Brad Hammond from Division was here earlier to interrogate some of the prisoners who were brought in today from the compound in North Hollywood. I need additional information from them. Can you get me a list of everyone he's visited?"

"All right. Just a moment."

The Warden nods to the guard, who opens up the visitor log file and shows Jack the list. Jack looks for all entries where Hammond is listed as a visitor and finds he had talked to six men while he was there. With five of them, he spent a few minutes at most, whereas he spent over half an hour with the sixth one, a Robert Louden. Jack decides to take a chance on this guy and points to his name. "Robert Louden, I want to start with him."

The Warden nods and instructs a second guard, standing next to them: "Bring Louden to the visiting room." Then he turns to Jack: "Down the hall, third door to the right. And I need you to sign the visitor log."

"Thank you."

Jack signs the log, then is escorted by one of the guards to the visiting area. As the door is opened for him, he hopes the guard will remain outside; he doesn't. Entering the room, Jack glances around, noticing surveillance cameras in two of the corners of the room. _No chance in hell you can get them to disable those._ he thinks, somewhat frustrated.

"Can you please wait outside? This is a confidential matter. Check with the Warden if you need to, but I have to speak to Louden in private." Jack tells him, looking him in the eye.

The guard contacts the Warden, explaining the situation, then tells Jack. "Warden says I got to search you for contraband, then you can have your privacy. But those" - and he points to the cameras - "stay on."

"Fine." Jack agrees.

**Division Interrogation**

Still doing chest compressions, Burke now tells Knoll to take over for him. Soon after this, Tony seems to react. Burke grabs Knoll's hand to make him stop the compressions.

"That's it, Tony. Breathe. Breathe. Easy now." Burke tells Tony.

As he comes back to life, Tony is again hit by tremendous pain. He gasps for air as best as he can, directed by the fear of suffocation, his brain ordering his lungs to move and let the air in, but every painful movement of his chest reminds him of things that happened; the torture, the wish for deliverance and that blissful moment where it all stopped; for a moment, there was no pain. Now he is back in a world of hurt.

He lets out an audible groan and lies still, wishing that they had let him go, knowing that things won't stop here just because his heart had stopped beating for a while.

Relieved, while listening to Tony's heart, Burke says to Hammond: "All right, we need to get him to the clinic."

"The clinic? No. We can't do that. Is there any way you can stabilize him here?"

Burke stands, takes a step towards Hammond, facing him, their noses just inches apart. "You will not continue interrogating him now. That is my professional opinion, and you better abide by it or I assure you, I'll get an inquiry started into your actions." Burke stares at Hammond angrily. "He needs to rest. He should be admitted to the clinic."

Reluctantly, Hammond agrees after thinking about it for a while. "Fine, we'll take a break. But the clinic isn't secure enough. We can take him back to the cell and you can attend to him there, then we'll let him rest. Don't try to argue with me on this, it's the best I am willing to do."

Burke stares back at Hammond for a few moments, then finally nods, relieved to have got at least this accommodation from Hammond.

Tony shuts his eyes firmly, trying to forget what he just heard, but it proves impossible. _Oh, God, they're going to do this again. You should have remained dead!_ he reprimands himself.

_'Antonio, what are you saying! You will fight! Michelle is out there and she's waiting for you. You will fight, son, do you hear me? Almeidas don't give up!'_ his father suddenly spoke to him from somewhere distant.

_'I know, papa,. I know but -'_

An induced motion of his left arm makes Tony open his eyes to the real world and his father disappears.

Burke turns to Knoll "Grab his right arm and help me get him to the cell." he says while supporting Tony's left arm by his shoulder. Knoll complies.

Hammond walks ahead of them, and opens the door. The guards standing outside the interrogation room join them and take Tony's arms, replacing Knoll and Burke. "We're taking him to his cell." Hammond tells them and they start carrying, dragging, pulling Tony towards the cell, while Burke gets his medical case and follows them and Knoll goes back into the interrogation room and starts packing up his things.

Tony is in a haze; not having any strength, he leans on the guards heavily. There is a strong pounding in his head, like he had gotten up too quickly, he's nearly losing consciousness. A thick black cloud is covering his eyes, lifting itself and coming back down at random intervals as he is repeatedly told to move, forcing himself to follow the guards' lead but not really able to gain control of his feet or legs and so he ends up being pulled down the hallways, unable to do anything but endure the agony, the anguish, the humiliation, wishing he could just drift away; but the pain is too strong and his body so stressed that it refuses to allow him the bliss of unconsciousness.

**LA Federal**

As he is alone, Jack tucks up the sleeves of the dark grey sweatshirt. Out of habit, he motions to remove the pistol from the holster but finds it gone, and recollects he's had to leave it at the guard booth. _Dammit._

While he waits for the prisoner to be brought in, he leafs through Louden's file. _Break him. Fast. But without getting their attention, it might not be easily done._

A guard escorts Louden into the room with Jack and after making sure Louden is secure, he leaves, closing the door behind him.

Louden recognizes Jack from the compound and eyes him wearily. _What is he doing here? I already talked to the other Fed._

"What do you want?" he asks, beginning the conversation, more sure of his position now than before.

"The truth." Jack answers simply, looking him in the eye.

"I already told that to your boss, or whoever he is. Nothing more to it." Louden says, the cuffs chinking as he rests his hands on the table.

"You lied to Brad Hammond and you and I both know it." Jack pauses, pacing the room. "What did he promise you? A deal? A pardon? Do you really think he'll do what he said?" Jack stops, turning to Louden and finding his eyes. "You mean nothing to him. You made a false statement and he heard what he wanted to hear. But as soon as this is all over he'll forget about you and they'll lock you up and throw away the key. You could be looking at a minimum of 15 years."

Jack pauses, the last words lingering in the room. Then he walks back to Louden, finding his stare and holding it. "You can make things right again now, tell me the truth and we'll forget this whole thing, there will be one count less on your file." he offers, though knowing he would not just let Louden forget.

_He's lying. That Hammond guy will talk to the prosecutor like he promised.He got what he wanted,so he'll hold up to his end._ "_You're_ lying. What I told him was the truth. I got nothing more to say about it." he answers, crossing his arms on his chest pensively and leaning back in the chair.

**Division Holding Cell**

As they arrive at the cell door and the guards lay Tony onto the bed, Hammond grabs Burke's arm: "You are not to give him any painkillers, do you understand me?"

"What! He is obviously in pain. I have to give him something!" Burke protests.

Hammond's stare is cold and annoyed at the same time. "You can't. I want him alive, but not dazed."

_I dont' believe this! _"Well, do you mind if I at least give him some water?" Burke retorts, as his eyes narrow.

"No." Hammond replies neutrally.

Burke jerks his arm away, staring at Hammond for another second, then kneels next to Tony, opens a water bottle and supports Tony's head to give him a drink.

Tony's dry lips and throat relish in the moist sensation of the much needed fluid and he gulps the water as best as he can, not knowing when he'll get another chance. "Drink this...That's it." he hears Burke whisper. Still, with the nausea not yet gone, Tony's stomach soon revolts and he is forced to stop long before his liquid reserves are replenished. Seeing that he can't take any more water, Burke lays Tony's head carefully back down, looking at him with sorrowful eyes. _Convict or not, he doesn't deserve this_.

Tony closes his eyes, his head turned to the wall, away from everyone in the cell. _They only brought me back so they can torture me again. They won't stop until I can't be revived any more._

The doctor lifts Tony's shirt in order to see the gunshot wound he had treated earlier. It has started bleeding again during the interrogation. "All right, I have to stop this bleeding, Tony."

_Just let me die._ Tony thinks, resigned._ I'm sorry sweetheart_, he says to Michelle's face while picturing it before his eyes. _I'm sorry, I just can't._... Burke carefully removes the blood-soaked bandage and starts cleaning the wound. There is slight pressure on his wound and as the black cloud comes for him again, Tony can feel himself drifting off into a pain-filled delirium.

**LA Federal / DOD**

Jack leaves the visiting room, and the guard outside it enters instead to watch Louden. "Where can I make a phonecall?" he asks, having had to hand over his cell phone too, since that was contraband.

"Over there, in the office." the guard points to a door.

"Thanks."

Jack walks in there, and after briefly clearing with the man on duty, he picks up the receiver, dialing a number. "Mr. Secretary." he speaks after a few seconds and is given privacy by the legitimate occupant of the office.

"Jack, good job. Everyone's so happy you're okay." Heller speaks, relieved to hear from Jack, slightly falling out of character, but who said a SecDef cannot express his satisfaction at a successful mission?

"Yes, sir." Jack barely acknowledges. If Heller hadn't sent the Marines out, they wouldn't be having this conversation now. He'll thank him later, but right now, there are more important matters at hand. "Mr Secretary, I'm at the Federal Detention Center downtown. I need to move a prisoner from here in order to question him properly. It is in connection to today's attacks, Sir, and I believe he is hiding something. I need your authorization to move him to one of our facilities immediately."

"Who is the prisoner?"

"Robert Louden. One of the men who were on Ragen's team. CTU took him into custody at the compound yesterday." Jack says nothing about Hammond's visit, hoping that Hammond didn't talk to Heller about Louden.

"Louden... Didn't he make a statement against Tony Almeida?" Heller asks, remembering hearing something earlier.

_Dammit_. Jack closes his eyes briefly. "Yes, Sir, he did. But I am certain he was lying. I need some space to prove it." he now admits. "It is the only way to clear Tony's name, Sir." he adds.

Heller pauses, thinking, then sighs loud enough for Jack to hear. "Jack, I am sorry. I would like to help you, I really would, believe me, but this investigation is led by Division, it is in Brad Hammond's hands to prove or disprove Almeida's involvement in this. Robert Louden is under protection for now and I cannot allow you to move him. You can talk to him if you wish, but he stays where he is."

"I understand, Sir." Jack answers, discontented, his voice somewhat low. He looks toward the door, which has just opened and the Warden walks in. Jack immediately switches his mood. "Thank you Sir." he says confidently, even managing a slight grin towards the Warden, then hangs up. "I just got off the phone with the Secretary of Defense. Louden is being moved." he tells Russel, looking him in the eye, without wanting to go into details.

"Why? He's under protection here."

"I don't have time to explain right now. As Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, I've been cleared to move Louden on a matter of national security. If you have a problem with that, you can call the Secretary to confirm." Jack bluffs, speculating that the Warden will not seriously consider the phonecall.

Seconds later, the Warden nods. "That's okay. You want him, you can have him. But I'll have to let Mr. Hammond know."

"He already knows. The order went through Division." Jack lies, keeping his eyes on Warden's. _I hate doing this, but it has to be done. I have to get to Louden, now._ he surmises, strangely feeling the need to justify his insubordination to Heller and this deceit before himself.

"I'm going to need something in writing." Russel adds before heading for the door.

"You'll have it. Later. We need to leave, now."

The Warden eyes Jack for a second or two; the urgency seems to be genuine. And then he relents: "Fine. Let's go."

**Division Holding Cell**

_Ah, damn this, this is a waste of time._ "How long before I can interrogate him again?" Hammond asks Burke, annoyed.

"I can't tell you at this point. Could be several hours in his condition. Otherwise you'll kill him for good." Burke lets him know.

_We'll see about that_, Hammond thinks. He does not really have hours to give Tony to recover. Time is running out. "Fine." he replies eventually and turns on his heels, exiting the cell and decides to wait outside for Burke to finish. "You two will escort Dr. Burke back to the clinic when he's done." he tells the guards.

As Hammond is out of sight, or rather, as he is out of Hammond's sight, Burke decides to take a chance. He has placed a new bandage on Tony's wound and now he is gathering his equipment and putting it back into his case. A quick movement of hand, his back to the guards, and he holds a painkiller in his palm, closing his fist around it.

"Tony, can you hear me?" he whispers and gets a very slight nod in reply. "I can't help you any more right now, not with them watching. I'm sorry." he says apologetically. "I'll be back to see how you're doing later." he tries comforting Tony, even knowing that he most likely won't be called in again unless they choose to continue. "Hang in there, Tony." he tells him and squeezes his hand, thereby depositing the pill in Tony's palm and closing Tony's hand around the painkiller. Then he locks his case, takes it and walks out of the cell.

"We can go." he tells Hammond and hopes that the guards will only close the cell and not check up on Tony before they do so. He then starts walking away, taking the lead, so that Hammond won't go back to Tony and find the painkiller in his hand. The guards turn off the lights in the cell, slam the door shut and join them.

**LA Federal **

Jack enters the visiting room first, followed by two guards. He remains standing by the door, smirking at Louden as the men approach him, then grab under his arms.

"Get up." one of them says.

"What the... Where are you taking me?" Louden asks as he is pulled to his feet, starting to get worried.

"Don't worry about it, you'll be safe." Jack states, nodding at the guards. They turn Louden around, his left hand is uncuffed, both his arms twisted behind him, and finally, his hands are cuffed again. Then, the group starts moving, leaving the room, and walking down corridors and through barred doors, each of them buzzing open in response to the guards' keycards and then snapping in behind them after they walk through.

"Stop. Face the wall." one of the guards orders Louden as they've reached the last barred door close to the booth at the exit. Jack signs a form, collects his pistol, wallet and phone and turns to the guards behind Louden.

The Warden holds another form for Jack to sign, and when that is done, he states: "Congratulations. He's all yours now."

"Thank you." Jack grabs Louden's arm firmly and starts leading him out of the prison.

"Hey, you can't do this! Where are you taking me? Let me go!" Louden yells, looking back towards the Warden and the guards, panic sounding in his voice. Somehow, he had felt safer in their presence, even though he knew a prison term awaited him. But at least, there, he _did know_ what awaited him.

Now, alone with this one man, a person obviously trusted and capable of handling him alone, the man who had killed Ragen and escaped him, Louden didn't know.

"Who are you anyway?" he asks Jack.

"Shut up." Jack tightens his grip on Louden's arm, continuing to walk him down to the parking lot and towards the black van of Morgan's that he drove to the prison in.

Louden moves along reluctantly, but all the while continues glancing around and behind him. _Where are we going? Why aren't any guards coming along?_

Opening the door to the van, Jack shoves Louden, still cuffed, into the passenger seat, making him practically sit on his hands, then fastens the seat belt around him. "Don't move." he tells him, his voice lowered menacingly.

Then he gets in the driver's seat, and, after being cleared by the exit guard, the vehicle leaves the prison premises.

**Division Cell**

Alone in the small cell, Tony drifts between brief spells of consciousness and haunting flashback-filled dreams. After the sounds from the outside have died down, the absolute darkness in the room grips him again, terrifying him. His heartbeat becomes even more rapid, his breaths short. He does not know where everything is, how much space he has to move. Feeling around weakly, he moves his hand and feels the wall right next to him.

The edge of the bed is a few inches from his other hand as he grips it suddenly in a panic-like reaction, thinking he'll fall, dropping the painkiller Dr. Burke gave him to the floor. He moans as the movement jolts his body, and in response, he attempts to find a position without pain. But in vain: the pain remains.

"No, no more." he whispers.

The sights and sounds of the interrogation refuse to leave Tony alone. Before his eyes, the sight of Hammond and Burke standing there as he screams in agony, the same questions again and again, no rest, only pain. His body is still on constant alert, the drug continuously invading his nerves. The anguish of the continuing torture rips at his mind. _They can come to get me again any minute._

"Leave me alone, please end this. I'll tell you what you want, just make the pain stop." he whispers to the empty cell, cold shivers invading his body. He tries to pull his knees up to relieve the pain in his abdomen, but can't keep them bended as it makes it harder to breathe.

Another moan and a fiery wave of pain shift his thoughts to Michelle. _Honey, I'm sorry I failed you. I told you everything I knew but it wasn't enough. I should have tried to find out more from Ragen, to call CTU instead of Jack. I'm sorry. I'm just so tired._

Squeezing his eyes shut, he tries to gather what strength he can. _They'll come for me soon._

**DOD**

A pair of black, polished leather shoes walk down a hall, then to a corridor and through a door. Light grey trouser legs hang over the shoes, the man's steps echo on the tiled floor. Another door opens and cubicles become visible, he's entered a restroom. He pushes open the cubicle doors one after another, and after making sure he is alone, stops at the far end of the room, near a window. Shuffling of paper is heard while he removes a note from his pocket and opens it. After couple of seconds there is a dial tone, then the beeping of the keys as he enters a phone number, then silence.

"We're sorry. The number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you've reached this message in error, please hang up and try the number again."

"No. Can't be right." he whispers to himself, his voice unrecognizable. He disconnects the call and redials the same number. Again, the pre-recorded message reaches him.

"Where is she?" he wonders quietly, concerned.

He begins to pace the room, waiting. _Marie wouldn't be unavailable at this time, she knows she can't be. Something's wrong. _He walks to the door leading to the corridor and pushes it open, glancing out for a second, then closes it again. Still clear. Going back to the window, he tries the number a third time.

This time, he hangs up right after "We're sorry."

He turns off his cell phone, slipping it in a pocket of his jacket. _Bauer is free, the attack in Carson wasn't successful and CTU and Division are destroying everything we've worked for. Have they captured Marie? Morgan is dead, apparently,but if Marie is still out there, we can still suceed. Does Heller know about me? What the hell's going on? Should I try to bolt?_

He folds the note again, stuffing it in a side pocket of his trousers. _This investigation has to stop, it's only a matter of time before they find me out, too. Maybe they're already investigating me._

_I have to do something_, he tells himself and exits to the corridor.

**Morgan's van**

As the van comes to a halt, Louden looks around nervously. He avoids looking in Jack's direction, trying to figure out where they are just by looking outside. Being that he's from San Francisco, he doesn't really recognize any of the surroundings, except knowing it must still be L.A. and they can't be that far from the prison they just left. Questions keep running through his mind. _Who is this guy, really? He seemed to know that Smith guy. Is Smith dead? Does he want revenge or what?_

Getting even more nervous by the quiet in the van, he blinks sweat from his eyes. _I didn't even have any part in it, I just followed orders. No, no, if he wanted to kill you he would have done it already. No, he wouldn't have, he couldn't kill you in the visiting room, stupid._

He steals a glance at Jack, but again his conscience reminds him: _He can't do anything to me, right? I'm a federal witness. His boss said he'd talk me a lower sentence. He can't touch me._

As Jack parks the vehicle, he too, glances around, but only to make sure they're alone. There is no nervous sweat on his brow and his hands don't tremble when he takes his weapon from the holster on his side, pulls its slide back and suddenly points it to Louden's forehead, looking him in the eye. "Tell me why you lied." he says in a low, coarse voice.

"I... I told him the truth." Louden says, staring at the barrel of the pistol. _He can't shoot me. _

Jack pulls the hammer back on the gun, staring Louden down wrathfully, not even blinking. After a couple of seconds of silence, he simply utters: "Don't."

_He can't do that. I'm a witness._ Louden assures himself nervously.

Jack waits a few seconds, the pistol in position. _I could hurt him, he'd break, he's already wetting his pants. _His eyes don't leave Louden's for a split second, nor do they become any less menacing, while his mind continues to reason with his index finger, which is resting on the trigger. Finally, one side wins. _I can't risk it. If Louden dies, Tony dies. Or gets sent away for life._

Instead of pulling the trigger, he releases the trigger and slams the weapon into Louden's stomach angrily, letting out his frustration. _Dammit! But I need him alive; at least until he makes a written statement._

While Louden doubles over in the seat, Jack leaves the vehicle and walks by the front and to the other side of it, holstering the pistol, then opens the side door. "Get out!" he tells Louden, grabbing him with his right hand, and pulls him out of the van.

Louden stumbles out of the van, but with his hands cuffed behind him, he loses his balance and falls to his knees. He tries to regain his breath as he looks at Jack. "You... You can't do this. I'm a witness." he coughs, voicing his thoughts.

Full of anger, Jack kicks Louden in the chest, causing him to hit his back against the van and bounce back forward. He stands above him, looking at Louden trying to breathe, and scoffs:

"The witness protection program has just been canceled."

Jack gives Louden a couple of seconds to recover, then picks him up from the pavement, using only his right arm, and walks him to the rear of the van. "Get inside." he orders when he opens the back doors, shoving Louden in, then follows him there, leaving the back doors open.

Louden looks at the shady, hard interior of the van. There is some kind of a white barrel in the corner, some boxes and tools, otherwise, the van is bare, no seats or benches. _Why did he bring me here?_

Jack glances at the barrel in the corner for a second, too. Before Louden's mind can figure out an answer to the question it posed, Jack grabs Louden's hands and uncuffs him, then cuffs only one of his hands to a railing on the side wall of the van, leaving the other hand free.

"Stay put." he then tells Louden, and goes to the barrel. He saw it in the van earlier before entering the prison and determined it to be a lightweight, aluminium Cryoseal container for liquid nitrogen. Now he removes the chain securing the container in place, takes it by its handles and rolls it, on its bottom, almost to the edge of the van and the open doors. Then he takes a seat behind the container, opposite Louden, letting him wonder what's happening for another few moments before uttering: "Liquid nitrogen... You know what that does?"

Louden remembers having heard of it some time but it's too long since his high school science classes. He shakes his head. "No." he says, getting scared now.

"I'll explain it, then. The temperature inside this container is below -320 degrees Fahrenheit. Nitrogen boils at this temperature - whereas most other things rapidly freeze."

He pauses before continuing. "Let me give you a demonstration."

Jack reaches into a box and takes out thick protective gloves, and a blue Dewar container. After putting the gloves on, he opens the valve and lets some of the LN2 flow into the Dewar. White vapor rises from the container as the nitrogen begins to boil. He looks at Louden: "Don't breathe too deeply."

When the container is full, Jack reaches into the box again, this time taking out a rose he had obviously collected prior to getting to Louden. "Watch closely." he says as he dips the flower into the Dewar. The evaporating fluid hisses and boils threateningly, and Jack leaves the rose in it for some 20 seconds, seconds in which Louden's eyes have fear written all over them.

Then, Jack removes the rose from the container and before Louden's eyes, smashes it against the floor of the van. The flower shatters into thousands of pieces, as if it were made of glass.

Neither of the men says a word for a while, the boiling of the liquid gas the only sound inside the van.

"And that was just a flower..." Jack then says to a shocked Louden. "Human tissue can suffer irreparable damage, Robert." Jack glances at Louden's free hand as he says this.

Louden looks at Jack, then again at the pieces of the rose on the floor and tries to back away but the cuffs and the van wall stop him. "No... I told you everything. I didn't do anything." he says quietly, realizing where Jack is going with his demonstration.

As if disappointed, Jack sighs and sets a plastic hardtop box to the floor at Louden's side, then lifts the Dewar to the valve again. "I warned you, Robert. Don't lie to me." he utters as more LN2 flows into the blue container.

**CTU / Division**

Chloe picks up the phone, hitting a speed dial button.

"Division, Dessler."

"Michelle. It's Chloe. I'm forwarding you a file with evidence from Ragen's compound."

"You've found something?" Michelle asks, relieved.

"Yes, I have."

Michelle opens up a socket. "Okay, I'm ready. What have you got?"

Chloe sends the file, and at the same time explains her findings. "Ragen stored his surveillance files on one of the laptops we've recovered. The recordings show the exact time they were made, so it's easy to prove where Tony was at any given time. During the attack on Camp Pendleton he was mostly alone, or watched by Ragen's men, but never inside the OC and it doesn't appear he was in charge of anything there, let alone leading the op."

"That's good." Michelle replies, opening the file. "Anything else?" she asks, aware that this evidence is at best circumstantial, not much better than Hammond's. They need more to clear Tony's name.

"Yeah. When Jack was brought in, Ragen sent Tony to another room with a man from his team. I have no surveillance from that room, but Tony was the only one to ever leave it, so I called Forensics. They confirmed they had found the man's body inside the room, his neck twisted. Obviously, as a Marine, Tony would be capable of doing that. On the body, they recovered hair samples not belonging to the man, but they're going to need Tony's DNA to compare it to."

"Good, they'll have it. If Tony had been on Ragen's team, he surely wouldn't have killed his men."

"Yeah."

"Thank you, Chloe."

"There's one more thing." Chloe continues. "I talked to Steve after Jack called me and he said he'd found a connection between Tony and another inmate of Lompoc, Diego Valdez, and he'd reported it to Hammond? Well, you might want to let him know that Valdez and Tony were inmates of separate wings and chances of them associating were very small. I've contacted the prison, they confirmed that the wings are separate entities and prisoners are kept apart for security reasons. That's bad research, if you ask me."

The last comment of Chloe's is lost to Michelle as she sighs. _Oh, God._ She wasn't aware of this accusation against Tony. _So they would have implied he was involved in planning this from the start, conspired even from within prison._ she realizes. _How much bad luck can one man have?_ it shoots through her head.

"Michelle?"

"Uhm.. Yeah, I'm here. Thank you, Chloe. Just send all information to my directory, and please send a copy to Brass over at District, I'll contact him right now to explain everything."

"Yeah, ok."

**Morgan's van**

As the Dewar is full, Jack sets it onto the plastic box, holding it in place with his left hand.

He then grabs Louden's uncuffed arm with his right, pulling it towards the cold, white vapor coming from the container. "TELL ME THE TRUTH!" he yells.

_NO! Do something! _Louden's mind yells at him. "Stop!... Stop!" he screams, horrified of what the liquid would do.

"All right, all right... I lied to the other Fed." he relents.

Jack still holds Louden's hand dangerously close to the Dewar. "WHY?"

"You and Smith ruined our chances, I thought this was my way to get even. Besides, your boss asked if Ragen's girlfriend and Smith knew. He mentioned them both, like they already had evidence against Smith! He said he'd help me make a deal if I helped him."

_You're a fool to trust Brad Hammond._ "Where was Smith during the Camp Pendleton mission?"

"In another room. He wasn't with Ragen."

"Was he ever in charge of the operation?"

"No, not that I know of. Ragen hadn't met the guy before, he didn't trust people he didn't know well."

"Did Smith associate with Marie Warner?"

"I didn 't see. I just saw her when she came in to Ragen and then they went to another room. After a while the shooting started."

Jack stares at Louden for another few seconds in disgust, then lets go of Louden's arm and empties the Dewar onto the street, where most of the nitrogen evaporates before it hits the pavement. Then he grabs a pen and a notepad from the box. "I want this in writing, or I swear to you I will do this again and this time I won't stop _before_ your hand feels the liquid. Start writing."

Jack exits the van, and dials Michelle's number on his cell phone, while keeping his eye on Louden. When she picks up, he speaks. "Michelle, it's Jack. Louden has revoked his statement. He's writing it up as we speak, I'll forward it to you as soon as I can."

Michelle closes her eyes. "Thank you Jack. Chloe has found evidence on Ragen's computers, too."

"Good. Go get Tony out." he says urgently and they hang up.

**Division, Hammond's office**

Michelle and three guards pass by the paper shufflers on the main floor, walk past Steve, too, who at that moment, lifts his head to look at Michelle. She looks firm and decisive, but he can only imagine how she must be feeling on the inside.

Hammond looks up from his computer, noticing Michelle entering his office. He frowns at the guards behind her but addresses her anyway. "Michelle. Have you done the report yet? I know that Rae took your statement."

Michelle walks deeper into his office, while the guards remain by the door. She doesn't smile nor does she reply to his statement at first; only after she stands directly opposite him does she speak: "Brad, I am taking over command of Division, effective immediately."

"You're what?" he looks at Michelle with a scornful look on his face.

"You heard me. You're being relieved of duty. As of now, you're in custody. ." She waits for him to process, then continues: "Rae is waiting for _you_ now. These men will escort you out."

Getting irked by what he sees as insolence, Hammond says: "I'm not going anywhere. On what grounds are you doing this? You can't relieve me."

"Fine, I'll paint you a picture." She crosses her arms. "First, you arrested Tony based on false evidence, a made up statment that Jack has just proven wrong, then, you refused to look into things that could prove his innocence! Chloe found surveillance footage from Ragen's compound, showing that Tony was always on our side, and never working with Ragen! If you had bothered to check that, you would have seen it for yourself! Not to mention you took Tony away in the middle of an operation, slowing us down. You didn't even try to prove the statement Louden gave you, just because it was logical to you that Tony was the obvious criminal! By acting under assumptions, you've effectively lowered the efficiency of our team, possibly put Jack in even greater jeopardy and maybe even allowed other involved terrorists to escape. It will be up to the DA to write it up, but for now, it's false imprisonment, impeding an ongoing investigation of a federal crime, criminal negligence and obstruction of justice. Based on these, I am instructing you to step down. Now, are you going to come along voluntarily or should these men help you?"

Hammond just sits still, momentarily stunned. _I was going with evidence I had at that moment. The other evidence supported Louden's statement that Tony was involved._

"I will come with you, but the inquiry will not be concentrating solely on my actions." he remarks and gets up, wanting to keep his dignity.

Michelle nods to the guards, who move towards Brad. Two of them cuff his hands in front of him, while the third one stands watching, his hand slightly touching the pistol on his side, just in case. Hammond doesn't resist and they soon start walking him out and down the stairs, Michelle behind them. _So much for dignity_, Hammond thinks.

All Division's eyes are on them as they walk to the main floor, most of the staff incredulously staring at the cuffs on Hammond's wrists, and then looking at him; searching for any signs of his inner life, traces of emotion on his face, in his eyes.

They also search for a triumphant look on Michelle's face, but there's nothing. And why would she be? It is not a turf war she has won over Hammond, she knows very well she's won nothing as long as Tony isn't with her again. She keeps her composure, despite her heart's wish to scream and run to Tony immediately. The group walks steadily across the main floor and then towards a holding room where Ms Platchecky is now waiting, having moved her things from the conference room.

Hammond nods curtly at her as he sits down and waits for the guard to uncuff him. "Hello, Rae. I suppose it is only fair that you take my statement as well as Michelle's to see that protocol is followed. Speaking of which, have you forwarded her statement yet?"

Rae sighs to herself, resting her hands on the table, and taking a breath before speaking. "Brad... You are no longer in charge of Division. Michelle has contacted District to take over. So... I'm going to be asking questions now, alright?" she tells him, politely, but nevertheless making authority clear.

Somewhat stunned, as he begins to truly realize his situation, that this is indeed for real and not some bad joke, Hammond nods wordlessly at Rae.

"Rae, let me know when you've finished." Michelle says quietly.

"I will."

"Thank you." Without further delay, Michelle turns away, taking one guard with her. "Lead me to Tony."

**Split screen**

Jack is again back in the van, now driving it. Next to him, on the passenger's seat, Louden's hand-written statement. Louden is in the back of the van, both his hands secured to the railing / Michelle and the guard leave the main office floor, descending the stairs / Audrey Raines is typing a message on her computer, while her father is on the phone / Tony, on the bed, lets out another moan into the darkness of the cell.

**Division**

Michelle follows the guard swiftly down the hallways and to the few cells Division has in the building. Every step that takes her closer to the cells also makes her remember the countless restless nights full of nightmares and anxiety that Tony has gone through since his release from prison. He would never talk about them, but it wasn't hard to imagine that his mind took him back to jail every night, if he even dared to fall asleep. Sometimes, she would wake up and see him lie next to her, staring at the ceiling, like he hadn't slept at all. He would deny it, when she asked, not wanting her to worry, and also, not wanting to discuss the issues, but his weary eyes would give away that slumber had not been his friend.

The trauma of the prison didn't stop when he was awake, though. She could see it; sometimes it would be in his movements: he would suddenly walk stiffly, as if he were marched down a cell block, and when she said something to him, he'd look at her, bewildered, as if snapped out of a trance; she'd see his constant vigilance and inability to relax. He had developed a reluctancy to descend the 30 narrow steps to the unlit basement: it took him two weeks to resolve to change a lightbulb in the cellar, a task that would have been accomplished within a day prior to his incarceration. She once caught him standing at the top of the stairs, by the open door to the basement, staring into the deep darkness; he refused to explain what he was doing there.

She could and didn't want to imagine what it would do to his psyche to find himself again in a small, dark, confined space like the holding cells at Division. Surely it would not help him overcome what he's already been through; no, it would send him back to the MSU with all its might, negating him even the tiny steps he had been able to take towards overcoming the events of the past months. _Tony! _her mind yells, seriously getting scared now. As they approach the area, her footsteps become even quicker, the closer she gets, until she begins to run.

From another hallway, Dr. Burke is headed the same way, a medical bag hoisted over his shoulder. "Agent Dessler." he calls out to Michelle, catching up with her. "I got the clinic ready, as you called."

"Thank you", she mumbles quickly, continuing to run down the corridor. "Where is he?" she asks nervously as they reach the cell row.

"Cell 2."

"Open it, then go." she tells a guard, and while he slides his access card through the slot, Michelle turns to Burke "Please wait outside."

Burke looks at her for a second as if determining if he should protest but doesn't. "Ok, just tell us when. But try to keep him calm, any further stress might aggravate his injuries and worsen his condition."

Inside the cell, Tony is laying on the bed, his body shivering slightly. _Cold. Why is it so cold here?_

He closes his eyes for a moment, trying to force the pain to stop but then he hears the door buzz and his eyes instantly open widely. _They´re coming again._

Terrified at the prospect, he pulls himself up against the wall, forcing himself to half lay, half sit in the bed, gritting his teeth at the pain that the movement brings to his chest and abdomen. _This has to end now_. he decides fimly.

As the door opens, Tony does not see but a figure in the doorway, a dark shadow contrasting the lit hallway.

"No! Don't... Don't do this again... I'll tell you what you want to hear!" he says desperately, taking shallow breaths, feeling the separated ends of bone in his ribcage move with every single breath.

Hearing his agonized shouting, Michelle steps into the cell only slightly. She doesn't go any deeper into the cell, not wanting to scare him further. "Tony... Sweetheart, it's me, Michelle." she speaks soothingly.

"Michelle..." he echoes her name like he hadn´t heard it in ages. He isn't sure if it is another one of his mind's tricks. It had been one of his ways to survive, thinking of her, concentrating on the one person he loved above all else.In the bright light flowing in from behind her, he makes out her features, only eight feet away from him, realizing it is no trick. This _is _her.

"Yes, honey, I'm here." She steps a little closer to him. "It's okay. It's over."

He tries to move to a better position, yet cannot help but groan in pain, as the drug in his system reminds him that things are far from over. Instead, he lets himself sink in the bed a little.

**Division debrief**

Brad is now leant back in the chair, his face stern. Rae scribbles something on her notepad, then speaks up. "Did you know that there was surveillance on Ragen's compound?"

"No."

"Knoll said that Tony had asked you to check the tapes multiple times. Did you verify their existence with CTU or teams on site?"

"No, I didn't."

Rae clears her throat before putting out another question. "Brad. Did you choose to disregard possible evidence in Tony's case?"

_Almeida did tell me more than once to check the surveillance on the compound, but I assumed he was playing for time. Did I do it intentionally, not confirming things?_ He then sighs and answers: "Yes, I did."

**Division cell**

By now, Michelle is at the bed, and she kneels down next to Tony. As she slightly touches his arm with her hand, trying to give him comfort, he reflexively pulls it away, his body still half in federal prison, half in interrogation. As he moves his arm, her eyes fall on his wrists; where the cuffs had cut into his flesh, lines drawn in clotted blood are sitting. "Oh Tony, what have they done to you?..." she whispers almost inaudibly.

Tony doesn't react, except for slowly turning his head towards her even more.

"Tony, it's me, it's okay... I'm not here to hurt you, honey... Trust me." she tells him, bowing down to kiss his forehead, and only then does she notice that it's cool and sweaty. Becoming even more alarmed, she gently touches his arm again, starting to caress it, noting his skin is somewhat clammy. _He's going into shock. _she realizes.

She reaches under him with both her hands, intending to help him sit up completely, and turning her head towards the door, she shouts: "Doctor!"

Tony hears her call out to a doctor, assuming it could only be Burke. The thought immediately evokes painful memories of the previous hours; Burke had not brought Tony any relief, only more pain; he let Hammond continue the torture and only stood by, finally bringing Tony back to a world of torment and agony. Tony's assumption is confirmed as, in response to Michelle's shout, he hears Burke's voice outside, talking briefly to someone, before the outline of his silhouette shows in the doorframe.

_She lied to me. She believes what Hammond told her. I can't take it again._ Tony inwardly screams, his heart rate rising, sweat protruding from his every pore.

While Michelle is still looking towards the door, waiting for Burke to enter, both her arms are still underneath Tony and he is somehow able to grab her service weapon from the holster. With the last reserves of adrenaline, using her moment of uncertainty about how to react, he painfully pushes himself away from her and gingerly stands up, fighting his knees to remain stable on his feet.

"You lied to me, Michelle! You're working with _them_!" he says, holding the weapon in a shaking hand, and raising it bit by bit towards Dr. Burke.

As he sees Tony point the weapon in his direction, Burke remains standing, about a foot into the cell, not wanting to provoke him. He raises his arms into the air, holding his breath. _No! I have a family._ it shoots through his head.

Michelle slowly stands, facing Tony, shaking her head and raising her hands. "No, honey... No. I would never do this to you." she says, but inside she can feel her heart breaking at the sole thought of him believing she is there to hurt him. "I'm only here to help you."

Tony motions with the pistol for Burke to back away and he does, stepping outside the cell; then Tony turns his eyes to Michelle. "I thought I could trust you; for better and for worse!" he continues, feeling utterly betrayed, and adds: "But you're just like Nina."

The last words stab Michelle's heart badly and she is unable to reply; only her eyes conveying the hurt inside her. She swallows hard but nevertheless feels her throat starting to tighten.

Still, Tony hasn't finished yet; he keeps on speaking to her, his voice scornful. "Was it really that easy, was Hammond's evidence that convincing! You're just here to take me back there, to get me to go quietly!" he hisses. The weapon in his hand feels heavy to his tormented body and he brings his left hand up to support the weight of the pistol.

As his voice subsides, Michelle can feel her eyes starting to water, but fights not to let it show. "Tony..." she starts, softly, yet her voice breaks. She breathes in, looking Tony in the eye. "Honey, I love you. I'm here to _save_ you, not to give you up to Hammond." she speaks, and at that, begins to approach him slowly, knowing that he would never threaten her with the gun.

"No. Back away." Tony says, and now points the pistol at his own head.

_Oh, my God!_ Instinctively, Michelle does as told, stepping back.

Another stab of pain hits Tony's abdomen, and he momentarily wraps his free arm around it, groaning. The weapon still in position, he then looks her in the eye, straightening slowly, to make sure she doesn't come any closer. His breathing is loud and, even to an outsider, his pain would be obvious.

Tony's eyes, clearly conveying his determinedness, are still locked with Michelle's, when he moves his finger to the trigger, although he is not yet squeezing it. He breathes in, then utters: "Let's end this right here and now."

Knowing him, Michelle is very aware she has to act quickly. "No, Tony, don't do this. I made Hammond step down, he is no longer in charge! He's in custody right now because of what he did to you! Please, Tony, you have to believe me." She keeps her eyes on his, "I'm on _your_ side."

"I don't believe you." Tony retorts, the pistol still touching his temple. Yet in his mind, he wages a battle. _What if she's telling the truth? She did come to talk to Hammond. Yeah, but she didn't get you out. She couldn't just go over his head._

He starts to see black spots swim in his field of vision, his strength waining. _Then why is Burke here? He was with Hammond. Maybe he's-._ Before Tony can solve his internal struggle, his body gives in and he collapses to his stomach, the pistol falling from his grip.

**CTU**

Jack parks the van in the underground garage, taking care to position it so that the back door isn't covered by security cameras. Then, Jack exits the vehicle through the back door, closes it, hides behind a pillar and dials a number.

"CTU, O'Brien."

"Chloe. Don't say my name. I need you to come to the garage, lower level. Make sure no-one follows you down." Jack instructs her, cautiously glancing behind the pillar as he hears a car engine.

"Fine." She locks her terminal and takes some files with her, then heads across the main office.

Jack slips his phone back into his pocket, glances at the security camera, and when it angles away from the vehicle, he swiftly moves to the door leading into the building.

**Division Cell**

Having conquered a momentary hesitation, Michelle goes to Tony, first taking the weapon away and sliding it to a far corner of the cell so he couldn't reach it. Burke starts to approach them, but Michelle says "No, stay out." not wanting to scare Tony again.

Then she gently turns Tony to his back, and seeing he is conscious, she takes his right hand into her own, squeezing it. "Honey, listen to me." she starts, leading her other hand through his sweaty hair. His eyes meet hers, and she sees he can hear her. "Listen to me." she whispers again. "Hammond can't hurt you any more. It's over."

Tony firmly shuts his eyes, wanting to believe her, convincing himself to believe her. "I can't take it again." he utters hoarsely, his voice quivering.

At hearing these words, Michelle glances at the ceiling for a moment. Trying to stop herself from breaking, she closes her eyes, but is by now unable to hold back bitter tears. "You won't have to." she whispers, trying to mask the difficulty to keep her voice steady. "It's over, Tony."

His eyes open and look at her sad face. She kisses his hand, and keeping her head low, close to his, speaks softly to him, for his ears only. "I love you, Tony. And because I love you, I don't want to lose you. That's why you have to let the doctor help you." She pauses. "Please. For me."

Tony gives a small whimper as the pain assaults his senses again, and squeezes her hand to make sure she is there, seeking safety from her presence. Their eyes soundlessly talk to each other for a few moments, and as he closes his, seemingly peaceful, she understands it's a yes. Breathing in, she keeps a hold of his hand, closing her other palm around his tightly. "Dr. Burke." she calls, quietly now.

"Get the lights on." Burke tells the medic, who goes to find the switchboard, then steps into the cell, alone.

Tony moans as the light hits his eyes, after being in the darkness for so long. He turns his head to the side, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to escape the light and the ache it causes.

With the lights on, Michelle now sees the other physical traces this day has left on Tony's body. His shirt is torn, blood flowing slowly but steadily down the side of his abdomen. His skin is shining with prespiration in the bright light, the bruises he'd earned the previous afternoon are clearly showing now, darkened, sketching a map of abuse on his torso.

As Burke kneels by Tony's side, Tony opens his eyes slightly and looks at Burke, his body still tense, not trusting Burke's intentions. Michelle sees his eyes are hardly open, yet bloodshot and tired.

"Tony, can you hear me? Just nod if you can, you don't need to talk." Burke says calmly, knowing that talking is an effort that causes pain.

Tony nods, but soon whimpers again. The pain is still excruciating, unrelenting, the drug not allowing him any relief. Burke looks at Tony, taking count of any further visible injuries that he might have, but he guesses most Tony's injuries are internal. He takes his stethoscope and moves it over Tony's chest, listening to his breathing and heart. _His lungs seem intact. Good. _"Tony, I'm going to insert an IV into your arm, OK?"

Tony does not respond as Burke puts in the IV, he just concentrates on breathing and trying to fight the pain. He turns his head towards Michelle wearily, asking her silently to help him.

As he does so, Michelle's eyes fall on his neck, and she sees four dark brown spots on its side. _Taser marks._ she realizes instantly._ I don't believe this. _The severity of the interrogation Tony has endured now begins to dawn on her. _What else have they done to him?..._ Swallowing hard, she tries to smile reassuringly to Tony, moving one hand to his hair again, caressing him, in an attempt to calm him down, but she can feel her own heart begin to beat faster with fear of what might surface. _Why didn't I get him out earlier?_ she reprimands herself, despite knowing that she couldn't have.

Burke then proceeds to check on Tony's injuries. He does not touch the area of the gunshot wound, just around it. As he touches Tony's abdomen above the dressing, Tony gives out an agonized cry of pain. The area is hard and obviously tender to touch. _Damn, he's bleeding internally again_. Burke frowns, worried.

He decides to give Tony a shot for the pain before moving him, now as Hammond is not there to stop him. He takes a syringe and stabs the needle into a rubber lid of a bottle, filling the syringe almost completely. Tony groans again, and, turning his head, he sees the syringe in Burke's hand, a couple of drops falling from the end of the needle.

Instantly, his body remembers the fiery pain Knoll's drug caused and is still causing, a flashback of the interrogation taking over his brain. _He thinks I know something_. His mind screams in fear, doubting Burke much more than he is prepared to trust him. "No. No. Not again. Please, no!" Tony pleads, breaking contact with Michelle, while trying to push himself away weakly. Yet after just a few inches he finds himself at the cold cement wall of the cell. Burke lowers the syringe, feeling sorry for Tony, who then turns to look at Michelle. "Please, don't let him do this." Tony implores her, his eyes reflecting terror and pain.

Michelle shoots a glance at Burke, wondering if he harmed Tony during the interrogation, too. "Tony…" She goes to him and gently takes him into her arms. Tony groans at the pain it causes but relaxes at her touch. "I'm here. I'm here honey, you're safe." she whispers soothingly, cradling him. Remembering interrogations she's taken part in at CTU, it dawns on her that Tony's reaction can only stem from one thing: Knoll was there. Fighting anger and hurt inside her, she holds Tony tight, whispering to him."Tony, listen to me. I won't let him hurt you. You're safe…… Dr. Burke is just going to give you something to ease the pain. It's ok."

Her closeness, the warmth of her body next to him, her arms soothingly wrapped around his shoulders give Tony the comfort he has been longing for. He shuts his eyes again, trying to slow down his heartbeat and relax. _She believes me. _After all the pain and fear someone finally believed him; Michelle, his haven, his lifeline, his life - she believed him.

**CTU**

Chloe opens the door to the garage, finding herself face to face with Jack. "Hey, Jack. Why the secrecy?" she asks.

"Chloe, I need you to do me a favor."

"Yeah, I figured that much. What's going on?"

"The man who made the false statement implicating Tony in Ragen's operation, he's in the van over there. I had to interrogate him but couldn't do so within the prison walls so I fabricated a story so I could isolate him. The problem is, the Warden thinks he's been moved to a DOD facility and Secretary Heller believes Louden is still at the Detention Center because he didn't sign off on this."

"You ignored a direct order from the Secretary of Defense?"

"Yeah." Jack pauses. "I had to get to Louden. But now I need to hide him until I can work this out."

"Jack, you're going to get yourself fired."

Jack nods. "Probably..." _But getting Louden to revoke his statement was more important._

_You're going to get me fired, too. _Chloe sighs. "So, what do you need me to do? It's not like I can bring him to a holding room and no-one will notice."

"No, no. You can't, I know that." He waits, thinking.

"Look, Jack. We can take him to my sister's place. She lives right around the corner and she's on vacation." Chloe offers. "Just... Make things right at the DOD soon, I can't leave him there for days."

"Yeah I know. Just a few hours. Thanks, Chloe. I owe you."

"Yeah you do. More than one." she grins. "Come on."

**Division Cell**

Seeing that Tony has calmed, Burke moves next to him and injects the drug into the IV. Tony sighs as the warm feeling soon takes away some of the pain. Knowing how fragile the situation is, Burke then speaks to Michelle, while preparing another syringe. "I'm going to give him a mild sedative so that we can move him to the clinic and then to surgery."

"Ok." she replies curtly, not leaving Tony's side. "You'll be all right soon, sweetheart. I promise." she whispers to him.

**DOD **

The same black shoes and grey suit again enter the restroom. The man digs out his cell phone from his pocket, and dials a number. "Yes, it's me." he speaks as someone picks up. "The situation has worsened. Proceed to plan B."

"Are you certain it is necessary?" a deep, dark voice questions from the other end.

"Yes. I can't risk being exposed. CTU has already dug up too much information, crossed too many of our plans. It's only a matter of time before they find me out, too."

"All right. I'll take care of it. This is our final conversation, so I'll ask once more: Is this a go?"

"Yes. They must be stopped." At this, the two men hang up.

"Who must be stopped?" Heller's voice resounds in the restroom. "Pete?" he stares at Pete Hanson, the man who had worked with Tony earlier, before the Ragen mission, shocked. "Pete, who must be stopped?"

Pete just glares back at Heller, speechless.

**Split screen **

Dr. Burke, a medic and Michelle are hastily leaving the detention area and moving away from it. Tony, streched out on a gurney, is being rushed to the clinic. / Hammond nods absently at something Rae said to him, his face is now showing traces of deep worry / Jack, Chloe and Louden are entering an elevator in an apartment building. Jack has placed a jacket over Louden's back to hide his cuffed hands. As they exit the elevator, Chloe produces a key and opens a door / Pete and Heller are still motionless, just staring at each other.


	24. Hope dies last

**A/N: **This is the final chapter of **_Faces from the Past_**. It was hard ending it, so I'm a little off schedule, it took a little longer than the usual fortnight. I just couldn't make myself write the final scenes for days... I felt like I was forced to let go of a beloved pet or whatever. Alas, it turned out to be the longest chapter of the 24 but I think you can handle it... Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it nearly as much as I enjoyed writing it, and if you do, please do let me know :-). Thanks.

Oh, and I need to thank my good friend **MFLuder**, who stuck with me through the 18 months of writing this, taking care of several minor characters, researching lots of stuff, and she also considerably helped to make Tony the wonderful guy he is and we all love :-)**  
**

* * *

**DOD **

"Did you just call a hit on someone?" Heller questions Pete, but gets no reply. "Who was it?"

Pete doesn't answer, just feels sorry that he doesn't have a weapon on him. Although, shooting at the Secretary of Defense... He knows he wouldn't make it out of the building alive.

"Pete, what have you done? Tell me." Heller presses on.

Still, no reply. Pete just stands there, a defiant look on his face._ I did what I had to do. And even if you stop me, you won't stop what's about to happen_, he thinks.

Heller, not wanting to give up, tries again. "Give me your cell phone and let me call them back. If they find out I know about the plan, they'll see it's useless to pursue it."

Pete grins for a second, then mumbles: "It's too late."

Heller doesn't move but it seems Pete is finally becoming talkative. He keeps his voice strong, demanding. "It isn't. It can still be stopped. Just tell me who the target is and -"

"NO!" Pete interrupts him. At Heller's surprised look, he adds: "Even if I told you, you couldn't stop it."

"Why?"

"He's gone dark. You can't reach him. And neither can I. It's over." he replies, almost triumphantly.

Heller stares at Pete for just a second, then calls out: "Jason!" and one of his bodyguards shows up at the door to the restroom, opening it.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Pete isn't working with us any more. Take him to a room where I can talk to him alone." Heller tells him, his eyes not leaving Pete's for a second. _I need to get a hold of Jack immediately._

Jason walks inside and past Heller, three steps are all he needs to take to approach Pete enough, drawing his weapon in the process and points it at Pete. "Turn around, face the wall." he tells him and Pete reluctantly obeys. Jason then holsters the weapon again, and cuffs Pete's hands behind his back. Then he ruggedly pulls him away from the wall. "Move."

As Pete starts to walk, Heller nods to Jason ever so slightly. The bodyguard grabs Pete from behind, and slams him against the wall to the side. Not being able to use his hands for protection, Pete hits the wall head first. As Jason grabs him again to turn him around, blood is already starting to trickle from Pete's nose.

**Division, Clinic **

Things are moving fast. Dr. Burke and an anesthesiologist are hovering over Tony, trying to determine the extent of his injuries before the surgery. Around them are technicians and nurses; some applying monitors or more IV's into Tony in order to put him under general anesthesia. Others are making the final preparations as the doctors now go to scrub in for the surgery.

Michelle is standing nearby, wearing scrubs and holding Tony's hand, Dr. Burke having officially allowed her to be there until they actually begin surgery. Maybe it was because he was feeling guilty, since he had taken part in the events, but his reasons didn't matter to her. She wouldn't have let them keep her out of the operating room anyway; especially not when no-one could tell her whether Tony's chances of surviving were anywhere in the positive range of the probability scale.

"Ok, let's get started." Burke says and the anesthetics soon start pulling Tony under. Michelle whispers a shy "I love you." before he dozes off, although he may or may not have heard her. As Tony's hand turns heavy and sloppy in Michelle's, and his eyes close peacefully, Burke speaks to her, almost apologetically: "Mrs Almeida, I'm sorry, but I must ask you to leave now. I'll send someone out to let you know how he's doing as soon as we know more, all right?"

With a heavy heart, Michelle nods, knowing they can't use a bystander while performing surgery. "Okay, doctor, thank you." She cautiously lets go of Tony's hand, laying it down beside him. _Good luck, honey. _She starts to leave the room, but adds. "I have to take care of a couple of things in the office, then I'll be down here." She leaves the room with one final glance towards Tony.

Outside, she takes off the scrubs, throwing them away, and remains standing by a wall for a few moments. She can hear the doors behind her close and as they do, separating her from Tony once again, she can suddenly feel an overwhelming urge to cry. Along with the bitter feeling that is beginning to rise from the deepest core of her being to the back of her mouth, what comes along is one image, one impression from the dark cell: Tony, tortured, bleeding and broken, with her weapon in his hand, ready to use it on himself. Leaning the palm of her hand on a wall for support, she closes her eyes, giving herself a moment to breathe.

She hears a noise outside, and quickly sends her hands to her eyes now, getting rid of the treacherous drops underneath them quickly, and is about to head over to the main floor when she almost bumps into Steve, who comes in from the hallway. He apologizes quickly, but as they both stand there, silence seems both inappropriate and uncomfortable, so he puts out a question: "How's Tony doing?"

Michelle looks away from him for a moment, still unsure if her emotional state is legible from her eyes before replying. "No-one really knows. He's in surgery now." Then she looks at him.

"I hope he'll be okay." he says sincerely. Michelle nods, but her eyes linger on Steve. His hands are in the pockets of his jeans and he is looking at her as if there is something else he wants to say, but doesn't really dare to.

A few seconds later, Michelle speaks again: "You knew, didn't you? What Hammond was doing to Tony?"

Now Steve averts his eyes from Michelle, for a moment glancing at the white walls of the hallway, and then staring at the floor. He did see Tony cuffed to the pole, he knew that Knoll had been called in, even though he didn't know all the details. He had thought of telling her, he had wanted to tell her, but Hammond had explicitly forbidden him to. _I should have told her. I should have, despite Hammond. _

He sighs, then quietly replies. "I did."

Not surprised, she says matter-of-factly: "And you hid it from me." not even making the words sound like a question.

Steve nervously runs a hand over the back of his neck before replying. "I know I should have told you. Believe me, I wanted to..." He pauses. He was about to put the blame on Hammond, hide behind having been given orders, but changes his mind. There was a choice to make and he made it.

He sighs before continuing. "For what it's worth, Michelle, I didn't believe Tony was working with Ragen. Not for a minute. But this was an investigation, and aren't we always told that, no matter how uncomfortable the consequences, we need to see things through?"

_Yes, that's true,_ she thinks, for a moment trying to surpress the injustice of it all to the back of her head and to see things without emotion, objectively. _But this was an unjustified investigation. He should have told me what was happening._

She doesn't reply, however, so he speaks on. "When I saw him cuffed to the pole, I -"

"You saw him?!" she asks, her eyes now widely open, her self-control in sudden jeopardy.

Steve nods. _There, now it's out. _"Yes, I saw him. I... had to talk to Hammond and the door opened and I saw Tony, and I was thinking that he didn't deserve that. But there was nothing I could do... I had to give Hammond all the information I had and trust that justice would prevail. I don't know what else I could have done." he finishes, his tone apologetic.

Michelle felt anger come up inside her more with every word she heard and now it flares up in her eyes even before she begins to speak. "For one thing, you could have done a better job of researching your facts!" she hisses at him. "Some of the information you gave Hammond was false or unlikely, but probably led him to torture Tony even harder. They almost killed him in there! Tony would have died in that cell, had Chloe not proven the evidence wrong! Think about it!" she shouts.

There is a stunned look on Steve's face as she pushes herself past him, wanting to get her work done, so she can come back to the clinic as soon as possible. Before she walks up the stairwell, she turns to Steve again angrily. "I hope you can live with the guilt if Tony dies!"

Michelle hastily leaves the clinic, while Steve remains standing where she left him. _No need to think about it. I know I couldn't._

**DOD **

"Tell me what's going on, Pete." Heller says.

Pete is on his knees, on the tiled floor of the restroom; traces of several punches are showing on his face already, some blood is smeared around his nose and mouth. He looks at Heller, but doesn't reply. Even though he knows that his wrongdoing will be exposed, he sees no point in stopping what is about to happen.

"Who else is in it with you? Anyone else from within the DOD?" Heller asks, but when he gets no reply, he nods to Jason, who hits Pete hard in the face once again.

"Who else?" Heller says again, looking sternly at his former staffer.

Pete spits to the floor and raises his head again. "No-one." he finally utters.

"Outside the DOD?"

"No."

"So you were working alone?"

Pete pauses for a few seconds, his eyes on Heller, then Jason. Eventually, he confirms: "Yeah."

**Division **

Michelle storms back into her office and sits down at her desk. She isn't in control of herself and this fact is bothering her. The light in the office is dimmed, the bustle of the previous hours is starting to die down and she closes her eyes for just a second, willing and wanting to regain her composure. Before accessing her files on the server, she takes a moment to lean back and breathe in very deeply. _Calm down this instant, Michelle._ she tells herself. She continues breathing consciously, and after a little while, she begins to feel the soothing effect of more oxygen in her bloodstream.

Still, even though her body seems to relax ever so slightly, her mind can't. As she sits there, she again begins to recall everything that happened in the last hour. Seeing Tony half dead in a cell somewhere below her own office, and almost coming too late for his help, Hammond's being responsible for putting Tony in that state, Burke's hesitation when she asked him if Tony would be okay, her once so strong husband angst-ridden, agony clearly audible in his voice, visible in his eyes, the injuries and marks on his body showing the cruelty of the interrogation he'd been subjected to, and most of all, the sight of him ready and willing to take his own life to prevent further torture, and his fear that she had betrayed him: it is all ripping at her nerves now and making her want to scream and bawl at the same time.

The sound of the ringing phone is something she would rather ignore at this particular moment, but its persisting makes her open her eyes and reach for the receiver. "Division, Dessler." she utters, her voice weaker than usual, but she manages to keep it from quivering.

"This is Lou Brass from District." he starts, cutting through the chase. "We're on our way there. What's your situation?"

Michelle sighs inwardly, fighting to force her thoughts back to her office, not the cell, and not the clinic. _You're still in charge of Division, Michelle, get a grip!_ she tells herself and begins to answer Brass' question; as she speaks, her voice more and more returns to its normal tone. "Well, further evidence supporting Tony Almeida's innocence has surfaced. The statement given to Brad Hammond by Robert Louden has been proven false and it has been revoked. As discussed, I've assumed command of Division. Rae Platchecky is currently taking Hammond's statement."

"How about your logs and files on the past day's events, have they been updated to reflect the current situation of operations?"

Michelle nods. "Yes, they have. I'll be finalizing my report on this case in the next few minutes. All other files are ready and accessible, on my system, including the complete list of inter-agency collaborations that took place today."

"Good. Seems like you have everything well under control. Although it is good that someone from here comes to see things through as your Director has just been detained. That isn't good for the morale and functionality of the unit." Brass continues.

"Yes, thank you." she replies and pauses for a second, before continuing. "I'll have everything ready for you when you arrive and I'll be available for any further questions you may have. But now that the crisis is over..." she pauses. "Tony is in surgery and I need to be with my husband." she tells him decisively, evidently not asking him for permission, but _preparing _him for what she decided.

Brass nods to himself as if he had been expecting this. "I understand that. We'll talk more when I get there..."

"Thank you." she hangs up, relieved. She would have fought if she had had to, but this time, it looks like it won't be necessary.

**CTU / Morgan's van **

After bringing Chloe back to CTU, Jack left the area again and started to drive downtown. The streets aren't clogged, and it is another beautiful day - although he hasn't really had time or energy to appreciate it yet. He looks as if he remembered something, and dials a number on his cell phone. Soon, he speaks. "Chloe, it's Jack. Have you faxed Louden's statement to Michelle yet?"

"Hey, Jack. No, not yet." Chloe answers, and closes a file on her computer. "Erin asked to see it too, so I had to show it to her first. Guess she wanted to see for herself that Tony hadn't betrayed us." she says, looking up toward Erin's office. _For some reason, she hasn't been interfering lately,_ it shoots through her head. "But I was just about to fax it now."

Jack is satisfied. "Okay, good. Have you heard anything about Tony's condition?"

"Just that he's in surgery now. They don't know much yet." she replies as she walks over to the fax machine.

"What about Hammond?" Jack asks, and as he pronounces the name, notices that he inwardly cringed at it.

"He's been taken into custody, Michelle took over." Chloe answers, not saying the name; she either noticed Jack's aversion or shared it.

"Good." _So he won't be interfering any more. It was about time._ "Okay, Chloe, thanks. I'm on my way to the DOD, let me know if there's anything new."

"I will, Jack."

"Okay, good." He hangs up and continues driving.

**Division, Michelle's office **

Michelle has finished prepping the files for Brass and now she logs off her computer and picks up the phone, then pushes a button. "Sheldon." Steve's voice picks up.

"Steve, could you come up to my office for a minute?" she asks him politely.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right there." Steve hangs up and immediately walks to her office. He knocks, and when she calls "Come in." he enters: "What's going on?"

Michelle gestures to a chair opposite her desk. "Steve, take a seat." and Steve does, thanking her. She then looks him in the eye. "I asked you here because I need to apologize." she begins. "I'm sorry I yelled at you down at the clinic. I know that you were just doing your job, I just... got emotional because Tony's life is in jeopardy and I am having a really hard time dealing with that once more." she says straight out, realizing she was projecting her anger for Hammond to Steve.

Steve shifts uncomfortably in the seat and glances away for a moment before answering. "Uhm... Look, Michelle, you don't owe me an apology. I made a mistake when I connected Valdez and Tony without looking further into the matter. I should have dug up more information before bringing it to Hammond and I'm really sorry about it. I truly am."

"Thank you." she says sincerely, although it doesn't make things undone. She leans forward, her hands on the desk now and keeps eye contact with him while telling him: "You did make a mistake, Steve. But I hope you learn from it and never do it again."

Steve nods, his eyes lowered to the floor. "Yeah." He sighs, then takes a deep breath. "Michelle, I've decided to quit." he says, then brings her eyes up to meet hers again. "This whole situation with Tony, I... I always thought that I could deal with the fact that we have to extract information from culprits by any means necessary and I firmly believed that we're the good guys..." He pauses. During these few seconds, Michelle is beginning to guess what he's about to say. Her hunch is confirmed as he continues. "But I don't think I've ever realized the moral conflicts I'd be facing the first time the person we interrogated was an innocent." He pauses again, and sees her features soften. He glances at the wall behind her, then sighs yet again. "I just wanted you to know that I truly am sorry for my role in this and that keeping this away from you wasn't something I _wanted_ to do, it's something I _had _to do, though it wasn't easy... But deciding to quit _was_. It is the only right thing to do."

Michelle doesn't answer, just keeps her eyes on Steve. _Maybe that's the right decision._ she thinks.

Steve then stands, and before he turns to leave, he asks. "Is there anything else?"

"No." she utters.

"I'll stay as long as you need me. I'll finish up my reports and prep everything for the next shift, but after that, I'm done."

"Fair enough... I'll see if I can get a replacement from District or CTU."

Steve nods and quietly leaves the office. Michelle watches him descend the stairs and when she doesn't see him any longer, she turns in her chair, leaning her elbows on the desk and her head on the thumbs of her folded hands.

**DOD / Morgan's van**

After finishing the phone call to Chloe, Jack hits a speed dial button on his phone again and waits.

Audrey is in her temporary office and is just searching for a file on a shelf when the phone rings. She goes to it and picks it up, slightly irritated by its shrill tone and instantly decides to change the ringer. "Raines." She says into the receiver and waits for the caller to ID himself.

"Audrey. It's Jack." he says quietly, or as quietly as the humming of the engine would allow.

To her ears, hearing his voice now sounds like a dream. "Jack..." she utters, incredulously, sitting down on a chair. "Oh my god..." Words fail her at the relief that overcomes her momentarily.

"Hey... It's all right." he whispers soothingly.

She closes her eyes, sighing softly. "I was so worried. We heard you were safe but nothing about your condition. I didn't expect to get to talk to you again today." _For a while, I wasn't sure if I ever would_, she adds in her mind.

Jack turns at a traffic light. "I'm okay... Are you all right?"

She nods to herself slightly. "Yes... Yes, I'm fine. I'm just glad you made it out again."

"Look, Audrey, I'm on my way to the DOD now. I just wanted to let you know. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Yeah."

**Division holding room **

"All right, we're done here. I wish you luck, Brad. You are going to need it." Rae gets up from the chair and packs up her things. "I'm sorry." she says quickly, then she turns away from him and a guard lets her out of the room and closes the door behind her. Brad remains sitting at the lone table.

Outside the room, Michelle meets Rae and asks: "Are you finished?"

"Yes. We're done."

"Okay, thank you." Michelle says, now seemingly emotionless. Somehow, she has managed to put on an impassive face despite the turmoil inside her. She enters the observation room on the other end of the glass and stares at Hammond.

Hammond sits quietly by the table in handcuffs, ready for transport. He is the one in custody, this time. His whole career is crumbling before his eyes. _And because of what?_ he sourly ponders. _That traitor, Almeida. He's already been convicted once so who says he wouldn't do it again. I had evidence against him and was acting according to protocol. You're going be spending years in prison, Brad. Unless you can build up a reasonable defense.'I don't think so',_ says a small voice in his head.

He still has friends in high places, in Congress. Maybe some of them will help him. Although even Hammond knows the truth. With the charges he is facing, no one in their right mind with a career would touch him with a ten foot pole.

Michelle now enters the room, the door buzzing open for her, but she remains standing by the door for a few moments, unsure or unwilling to enter - or both. Hammond turns his head towards the door to see who walked in, but then looks away again.

"So, Brad. How does it feel to be on the other end of the stick? The cold steel suit you? Better get used to it." the words sputtered out before she could stop them. Too great was the satisfaction of knowing that he'd never hurt Tony again. Yet she isn't truly able to rejoice in it, having witnessed the state her husband was in, the agony he's been in since Hammond took him into custody, the uncertainty whether he'd live or not.

"Do you have any idea what you did to Tony? After everything he'd done for us today?" she continues. The question is purely rhetorical and Hammond doesn't answer it. If he had a choice, he would just ignore her and her treasonous husband for the rest of their lives.

Michelle now takes a step or two into the room, coming to face him. She waits for him to lift his head towards her. "I despise you, Brad. I really do." she then says, her eyes focused on his, then pauses, looking at him in disgust. "May God forgive you, Brad. Maybe even a judge will. But I won't. Ever." she adds.

"Forgive me for what, Michelle?" he finally utters, not in the mood for being kicked around in the dust. "I did everything by the book. I was acting on evidence I had at the time and took him into custody. The witness clearly stated that Tony was involved and could thus jeopardize the rest of the operation." he responds, still flippant. She was his subordinate and he was damned if he'd give her the satisfaction of seeing him destroyed.

"WHAT evidence?" Michelle exclaims. "You didn't even bother to view the surveillance tapes. Your witness - you promised him something and he _lied_. But you were more willing to believe the word of a terrorist than to actually get proof before acting on assumptions."

"You know that time is of the essence, we had to find out what Tony knew. And he didn't provide me any reason to believe Ragen's men were lying. If he was innocent, why didn't he do anything to help himself?"

"Tony told you to check the surveillance tapes. You didn't. What else could he have done to help himself, tell me that? You didn't give him a chance."

At that moment, the door opens with a buzz. "Michelle." a woman calls her out of the room and Michelle leaves wordlessly, giving Hammond one final look of contempt. "What is it, Eileen?" Michelle asks, her tone a little brusque with the anger inside her.

"Lou Brass from District is here to pick up Mr. Hammond. What should I tell him?"

"Let him come in."

"All right."

Michelle does not enter the interrogation room again. She waits outside, again taking deep breaths to calm herself down. It seems like she's got the hang of it by now. _It's all right, Michelle, he'll be out in a minute and then you won't have to deal with him any more. _

A couple of minutes later, Eileen comes back with Brass and three guards. Brass walks up to Michelle. "Ms Dessler."

"Mr. Brass." Michelle shakes his hand.

"Are you done with Brad Hammond? The paperwork should be in order, so that we can take him to Federal."

"Yes, he's all yours." she says, anticipating the moment Hammond would leave the building. She slides her key card through the slot and the door to the holding room obediently buzzes open, letting hem enter.

"Mr. Hammond, let's go, it's time." Brass tells him and two of the guards lift Hammond up by his arms. Making sure he is securely restrained, his hands cuffed in front of him, they take him in the middle between them and escort him out into the hallway.

Michelle stands back and lets the men pass, then walks behind them to the main office. All eyes are on them as they cross the floor and Hammond keeps his head low, now not quite as sure about himself as he was when they walked in the opposite direction. Memories are just such a hard thing to deal with and she is once again reminded of that when she realizes that she can't help but think of the time she saw Tony being led into CTU that fateful day, handcuffed, resigned, defeated.

She stops at the exit door, as Hammond and the guards leave the building and are joined by a fourth man, and she watches them enter a car. Hammond is placed in the back between two guards, the third one is in the passenger's seat and the last person who joined them outside gets in te driver's seat. The car drives off instantly and Michelle gives a loud sigh as they disappear from view. Brass, standing behind her, notices this but says nothing.

**DOD restroom **

"Let's get him out of here." Heller says to Jason.

"Let's go." Jason picks up Pete from the floor and shoves him towards Heller, who opens up the restroom door and waits for Pete to walk through. When he does, the two men follow him.

They start moving down the hallway towards the offices again. While they walk, Heller digs his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. "I want you to watch him closely. I'll find Jack Bauer, get him to come here as soon as he can. But we have to find out who the targets are, and maybe CTU can stop them. But I'm not sure if we have enough time to wait for Jack, so keep talking to Pete, do you understand?" Heller says, looking at Jason.

"Yes, Sir. I'll try." Jason answers. "I'll do what I can."

"Jason. Break him." Heller says in a low voice, making a point of the last words.

_No, you won't._ Pete thinks to himself. Wiggling himself out of Jason's grip, he suddenly starts running.

"HEY!" Jason yells and reaches out to catch Pete, but he is a few inches too far behind. Heller, too, tries to catch up, but several moments later, Pete finds himself by an open window and, without slowing down, jumps out of it. "NO!" a shout is heard behind him, but it is too late. As Heller and Jason next look out of the window, Pete's body is sprawled awkwardly on the sidewalk, twelve stories below.

**Division **

When reaching Michelle's office, Brass takes a seat in the chair opposite hers, in essence showing that she is still in charge. "So, am I correct to assume you still wish to step down?" he asks her neutrally.

Michelle nods and replies in the affirmative. "Yes. The crisis has obviously passed and the follow-up work can be handled by the staff. I need to be with Tony."

"You and your staff have done very well today, from what I understand. It is a shame to lose the most experienced case officer on duty at this point. You know that briefings are best done by those who handled the response. However, I understand your situation." he adds symphathetically.

"Thank you." she answers and pauses for a couple of seconds, then continues. "I'll still be in house in case you need any additional information, I just want to go down to the clinic and wait there."

"Okay. So, I assume you have all the most important files ready? I need to review those to familiarize myself with everything. And the staff know their duties at this point?" Brass continues.

"Yes, all the necessary information is in this folder," she hands it to him "and on the servers. As well as current working protocols and assignments for each member of the staff."

"Good. Do you have the access codes here?" he asks, while browsing the file.

"Yes." She reaches into a drawer. "Here you are."

"Thank you. Where are the security tapes from the compound? Do you have copies of them or has CTU provided you with the originals?"

"CTU still has the originals, but I've received a file with the relevant portions of the footage from Chloe O'Brien. It's on the server, along with the rest of the information. I assume you will want to read the statements made by Robert Louden and Brad Hammond as well. A copy of Louden's statement has been faxed to us and the original is being forwarded by Chloe. Rae Platchecky still has Brad's statement but I am sure she will get it to you as soon as possible. If you need anything else, Chloe will be happy to help you. Also, any furhter inquiries into Brad Hammond's s actions today should be addressed to Steve Sheldon or Knoll."

"Ok. I will review their statements first and see if there is need for further information. Hmmmm.." Brass concentrates momentary on the file in his hand, reading it. "It says here that they found a hidden body on the compound and that he was most likely killed by your husband." Looking up again, he continues: "That would support the evidence already suggesting that he wasn't working with them. Have they got any physical evidence to confirm that?"

"Well, there is nothing conclusive yet. They did find several hairs and epithelials on the man's body and clothing but that evidence still needs to be processed by Forensics. They need Tony's DNA to compare to that which has been found and I've sent a sample down to the lab. The actual analysis will take two days."

"I will see to those then."

"Thank you."

"All right. This is all I need at this point." Brass says, placing the file on the table. " As far I'm concerned you can go down to the clinic. If there's anything further, I'll contact you."

"Okay." she stands and then says, "Thank you for doing this."

"You're welcome."

**Transport vehicle to Federal **

There is almost complete silence in the car. They're headed downtown, to the same Detention Center Hammond has been to earlier, when he talked to Louden, the same Detention Center he'd brought Tony to almost a year ago. _Some justice._ he sourly thinks and looks out of the window, at a world he guesses he won't be seeing for a while. _They'll put you in prison for doing your job._

**Division **

As Michelle is on her way down to the clinic, and about to turn off her cell phone, it rings. For a moment, she wonders if she should even answer it, but one glance at the caller ID helps her decide. She remains standing in the hallway just in front of the doors to the clinic, as she picks up. "Jack?"

"Hey, Michelle. How are you holding up?" Jack asks, his voice soft and concerned.

Before replying, Michelle leans on the wall behind her. "I..." she sighs. "I don't know, really. Right now, I'm just tired. And worried, worried to death. Afraid that he won't make it. Dreading the wait, the uncertainty."

Jack stops the car at yet another traffic light and hangs his head in thought while listening to her. He can imagine what she's going through and knows it's not easy. He doesn't interrupt her, though, wanting to give her an opportunity to talk, aware that having someone who'll listen is sometimes worth more than having to listen to someone.

"Jack, if you could have seen him..." she pauses. "He looked so fragile... Broken."

She says nothing for a few seconds, and the light turns to green, so Jack drives off again. "I'm so sorry, Michelle." he utters quietly. "I really hope Tony makes it. You know I do."

"Yeah..." she whispers, feeling a few tears rolling down her cheek. She had never seen Tony in such a state of mind before. She had never thought it was possible, after everything he'd endured in the past. "You know, Jack, I always wanted to believe Tony was invincible, unbreakable... I wanted him to be my white knight in armor, and he _has _been... But to see him like this, and to think it was all because of Hammond... I don't believe he'll ever be the same. And I keep blaming myself for not getting him out earlier, for not going over Hammond's head."

"Michelle..." Jack whispers, but she continues.

"Why did I wait that long? Tony... He could have died, had this taken any longer." She is unable to hold back a small sob as she finishes speaking.

"Michelle. You did everything in your power to save Tony and _you did _get him out. You have nothing to blame yourself for. What happens from now on is out of your control. But you know he's in good hands. You have to believe he'll make it." He pauses briefly, then adds: "I believe he'll make it."

There's silence on her end of the call again, as she sniffles and wipes away the tears from her cheeks, trying to regain her composure, knowing that Jack is right.

"Michelle, I'll be over as soon as I can." he tells her, knowing that solitude is the worst enemy in times like these. "Is there anything you need?"

She sniffles quietly again, "No... No, I'm fine, Jack." _All I need is for Tony to get well again._

"You sure?"

There's another sniff, then a long breath, followed by a brief: "Yeah. Thank you."

"All right, then. I'll see you soon."

"Ok." she agrees and slowly, thoughtfully, closes her phone, disconnecting the call.

**CTU / Morgan's van**

Chloe leaves her desk, taking the phone with her. She walks through the main office and into a hallway, glancing behind her as she gets there. It is clear she needs to make a private call. She glances up to check for cameras, and then turns away from them, and dials a number. Jack is still driving, and is about to make a turn towards the building where the DOD has temporarily settled in, when his phone rings. Seeing Chloe's number, he picks it up. "Bauer."

"Jack, it's Chloe." she says into the phone, her breathing audible on the other end. Her excited voice immediately lets Jack know that something isn't right.

"What's going on?" he questions.

"Louden's dead." she says simply.

"WHAT?!" Jack exclaims and stops the car abruptly on the side of the street, the DOD building in his view.

"He's dead." she repeats. "A neighbor heard noise at the door and called the police. LAPD found him in my sister's apartment. Someone slit his throat." she tells him.

"Son of a bitch!" he shouts, hitting the steering wheel with his fist.

Chloe looks around for a moment, then turns away from the cameras again, whispering. "Jack, you have to get here now. They're going to start asking questions, and I don't know how I can cover for you under these circumstances."

"I know." he utters. "How did they find him?" The question is rhetorical, but none the less justified.

"I don't know. But I need you here."

"Yeah, I'm on my way."

Chloe hangs up first and when Jack does, he makes a U-turn, the tires squealing as he begins to head back to CTU.

**Division **

Back in Michelle's office, Brass is reading the statements of Louden and Hammond. Occasionally he turns to the computer, checking for updates or advisories. _Did he really not check the validity of Louden's information? Even after it was clear there was surveillance? This is not going to look good in his hearing._ Brass thinks. _I'd better see those tapes myself._

He turns to the computer again, opening the first video file while picking up the phone. "This is Brass. Will you call CTU and ask them to send a full copy of the surveillance tapes?... Yes, yes. OK, thank you."

**En route to CTU **

While driving back, Jack keeps thinking. _How did anyone know where I brought Louden to? Who leaked word? No-one knew except me and Chloe... Someone must have been watching us. Watching me, maybe._ He stops at a traffic light, impatient, as always. _Why would they want Louden killed? He was of no value to anyone but Hammond. Who profits from his death? _He glances outside. The streets are crowded again, people on the sidewalk buzzing around like busy bees. A man wearing all black catches his eye and somehow, his mind digs out a memory from earlier and he presses his head against the headrest. _Damn it, the mole at the DOD. I never got a chance to deal with that. Son of a bitch! _Just before the light turns to green, he grabs the phone, but before he even starts to dial a number, it rings. Jack flips it open, "Bauer."

Heller is now standing next to Pete's dead body on the sidewalk outside the building. "Jack, this is Heller. Where are you?"

Jack is suddenly relieved. "Mr. Secretary. I'm on my way to CTU, Sir."

"Why?" Heller questions. "You were supposed to come here for the debrief hours ago, Jack. Besides, I need you here. I just identified a mole in our organization." he finishes and glances at Pete once again.

_Good_. "Yes, sir, I was just about to call you about that. May I ask who it was?" he replies, trying to avoid explaining his reasons for now.

"Pete Hanson." Heller replies, but then realizes. "You knew about this?"

"I knew there was a possibility, Sir, yes. But I couldn't mention it to anyone at the DOD, I didn't know who to trust. And I simply didn't get a chance to deal with it myself, Mr. Secretary, you know what this day has been."

"I understand that, Jack. You still should have told me. But, since we've got him now, I'm willing to look the other way. However, we have another problem. Hanson is dead, he killed himself. But before he was exposed, he had ordered an assassination. I haven't been able to find out who the target is, he wouldn't tell me."

At hearing this, Jack realizes something too. "Sir, there is something that I have to tell you." he starts, and Heller walks away from the other people outside with him, then speaks. "I'm listening."

"Robert Louden, the man who had made a statement against Tony Almeida earlier, he revoked his statement implicating Tony. I have it in writing." he starts, giving Heller the good news first.

"That's good." Heller replies, but senses that Jack has more to say.

"But now he's dead, too. Someone killed him and I think these deaths might be connected."

"What? How was that possible? I thought he was in custody?"

"He was..." Jack takes a breath before continuing. "Sir, I hate to say this, but I moved him from the Detention Center in order to talk to him. There was no way I could have known he was someone's target." he adds, attempting to justify himself.

Heller didn't even hear Jack's last sentence. "Jack, I gave you a specific order not to move the man! Are you telling me we lost a key witness because of your actions?"

"Sir, with all due respect, Louden was _not_ a key witness. He had fabricated a story implying Tony Almeida in the plan because he wanted revenge. He had seen the two of us at the compound earlier and figured we were working together. He lied to Brad Hammond and he admitted to that. And Mr. Secretary, I am certain that whoever killed Louden, they would have gotten to him even within the prison walls. Their organization was just too good. If they wanted him dead, they would have killed him, no matter how well we protected him."

"You _don't _know that, Jack!" Heller raises his voice, beginning to walk.

"No, Sir, but it's my feeling."

"Jack, I appreciate the work you have done for us, I really do, but this is not over, I promise you. Disobeying my direct order is inexcusable."

"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir." _I know that, I just had no choice, that's all. _

There's silence on the other end, and judging by his breathing, it is clear Heller is trying to calm himself. Jack isn't surprised by Heller's reaction, after all, he knew he was going down a slippery road when he decided to move Louden. "Mr. Secretary, if I may..." he starts, and waits for a reply from Heller, but as there is none, he just continues. "I do not believe that Louden was the primary target. He was not important enough. He knew nothing about Hanson's involvement in this plan, I am certain of it. Sir, my instinct tells me Louden must have been a decoy, someone else is meant to be hit."

"Who?" is all that Heller manages to utter.

"I don't know yet, but I assume that anyone who was deeply involved in this operation is a possible target. Which includes me, but also you, Sir. I suggest you take the necessary precautions."

"They won't be targetting me, Jack. As Pete called the hit, he didn't know he had been exposed. His aim was to keep his cover intact, not to draw attention."

Jack nods to himself, somewhat relieved. "Good. Then it leaves four or five possibilities. This information needs to be relayed to CTU immediately, along with the details from Pete's cell phone. Which number he used, whom he called. They might be able to dig out something."

"I'll tell Audrey to do it."

"Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Sir, I am requesting your permission to go to CTU and try to help, then I'll resign if you want me to."

"Permission granted. But I want you back here as soon as you're done." Heller replies, still angry, not wanting to say anything about the consequences just yet.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Jack. Just get back here." Heller hangs up.

As the call ends, Jack mentally starts going over the list of possible targets. _Who was involved? Tony; but he's in surgery now, unlikely they could get to him. Me, we'll see. Michelle, I don't think so. Although, I did tell her to look into the DOD matter. She could be a target. But she's protected at Division, I don't think they'd try to get to her. Who is exposed right now? _

Suddenly, he seems to remember something and grabs his phone again.

**Transport vehicle to Federal **

Hammond is still looking out the window, when a sudden sound like an explosion interrupts the silence. The car starts to swerve, the driver does his best to try and regain control of the vehicle. "What the hell was that?" the man in the passenger's seat shouts as he tries to get a hold of something. "No idea, a busted tire, I guess." the driver shouts back. The car continues to move, out of control, for a few moments, but soon, the ride ends in a tree, the car frontally hitting it.

**CTU **

Chloe is on the phone with Jack and Steve from Division at the same time. "I know, Steve, just try to reach them!"

"Chloe, where are they?" Jack, impatient, utters. "Come on, I don't have time to wait!"

"Hold on, Jack. Steve is trying to reach them. They should be close to the Detention Center now. I'm pulling up sat frames."

"Come on, come on, come on." Jack says while accelerating towards Downtown L.A.

"Alright, Jack, I've got them. They're just about four blocks away, but hold on. There must have been an accident. The car hit a tree."

"What?" Jack asks incredulously. _Too much of a coincidence._

"Hold on, Jack." Chloe says. "Steve, can you reach them?"

"No. I'm not getting anything. The radio must be out."

"Jack, we can't get through." Chloe informs him. "They could be dead."

"Send rescue in, now." Jack orders. "I'm still twenty minutes away."

"Okay, I'm on it."

**Accident site **

The two guards in the front were instantly killed. In the back, Hammond and the guard next to him appear to be breathing. Several seconds later, Hammond slowly lifts his head. He moans as he comes out of his momentary daze, realizing what happened. Since there is a moist sensation above his eye and he assumes he's bleeding, he brings his cuffed hands up to his brow, touching it. The red smear on his fingertips confirms his assumption.

Taking a look at the front of the car, he sees blood everywhere, the windshield smashed in, cutting the driver and his partner. The airbags had been deployed, but the front of the car was too badly crushed for the airbags to save their lives. He then looks to his left, and the man next to him, Howard, wakes up at the same moment. "Is everyone all right?" he asks as he looks around.

He gets no response from the front of the car. Looking to his right, he sees the other guard starting to stir, apparently unconscious.

Trying to move his legs, Hammond lets out a shout. _Oh God, I think my thigh is broken. Damn this hurts. _"Those in the front are dead." he tells Howard.

"Yeah." Howard looks at them, briefly, nodding. "You okay?"

Hammond moans softly. "I think my thigh is broken. I can't move. Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." Howard says, but then pulls out his gun and continues: "Which is bad luck for you." he tells a shocked Hammond, as he shoots the guard to Hammond's right.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hammond shouts.

"Shut up." Howard utters, then breaks out the window and opens the door from the outside. Stepping out, he points his weapon at Brad and orders him: "Get out of the car."

"Who are you? You're not a guard, are you?"

"I'm acting as a replacement." he offers an explanation, making it clear he had taken out of play the actual guard. "Now come out here."

"I told you, I can't. My leg is pinned by the seat."

"Come on. Pull yourself out. Or you die right there."

**CTU **

"What the hell is going on?" Chloe utters, her satellite coverage showing her a man who is pointing a weapon at the back of the car. She contacts Jack again. "Jack, better get there fast. Apparently there are at least two survivors, but something's not right. One of the guards is aiming at someone inside the car. I can't see who it is."

"I can't get there any faster, dammit. Where's the ambulance?"

"They'll be there soon, but this may be a too dangerous situation for them to walk into."

"I agree. Inform them, tell them to wait."

"Got it."

**Ambush site **

_He wants me for something, otherwise he would've already killed me._ Staring at the guard outside the car, Hammond painfully pulls his leg underneath the seat, using his hands for help as best as possible. He groans in pain as his leg moves, but when it's free, he slowly crawls out. He falls to the asphalt, screaming as his leg makes contact. Howard stands there, looking at him quietly. Gasping to regain his breath, as he hoists himself up against the car, Hammond stares at Howard, asking: "What do you want?"

At this moment a bullet whistles from nowhere and Howard, hit in the forehead, slumps to the ground.

Agonized and unable to run away, Hammond looks around to see where it came from, looking for the sniper, when, mere seconds later, another bullet flies towards him and this one hits him in the stomach.

Hammond doesn't feel anything for a couple of seconds from the shock, but after that the fiery pain hits him. Grabbing his stomach in anguish, placing his hands on the wound, he feels the sticky blood from the gaping wound flowing through his fingers. He gasps in pain as the feeling spreads. _This is bad._

Looking down at the wound he can actually see his intestines coming out of it. He stands there, fighting against his shivering knees to stay upright, but after a while, he loses the battle ant falls onto his knees. He looks around in fear, looking for a sign of the sniper or someone he could call for help. But the street is small and seems deserted or his eyes are too blurry to recognize anything, he can't really tell.

"Help." he calls out weakly, but his voice is lost in the usual background noise of the city. "Someone, help me... please."

He feels his trousers getting heavy with the blood soaking them and it is then that panic grips him with its cold fingers. _God, I'm going to die. I'm going to die. _

**Division, Clinic **

Michelle is nervously pacing the length of the waiting room, unable to sit still. In her hand is a cup of coffee, but she doesn't need to sip it to stay alert or awake. With the fear and worry inside her making her feel like she's going to freeze to death from inside out, right now, the styrofoam cup only serves to warm her hands.

**DOD **

Audrey looks at her watch, somewhat nervously. "Jack should have been here by now." she mutters to herself. She picks up her phone, and dials her father's cell phone number. Not having seen him for a while, she assumes he is not in his office. "Hi, it's Audrey... Uhm, have you heard from Jack lately?"

"I have. He was supposed to come here, but now he's on his way to CTU." Heller says neutrally, having worked on controlling his anger.

"Oh, okay, thanks." she answers, but then hears street noise. "Where are you?"

"I'm outside, west side of the building." He glances at the dead body on the sidewalk. "Pete Hanson died."

"What? How?" Audrey asks, shocked.

"It's a long story... We'll talk later, okay?"

She nods, puzzled. "Okay. Thank you."

As they hang up, she gets up from her chair, shuts down her computer, grabs her purse and leaves her office. _If Jack can't come here_,_ he might need me there_. she thinks. _And Pete killed himself for a reason, maybe the threat hasn't really passed yet. _

**Ambush site **

Hammond perceived a faint bang from somewhere - for a split second he wasn't sure if he had really heard it or if his mind was playing tricks on him, but then he suddenly felt sort of like back in college, when the school's best pitcher had sent a baseball straight into his chest, only a million times worse. The projectile pierced his lung and exited at his back. When the bullet left his body, Hammond thought he could actually sense the cold air rushing through his wound before it was quickly filled with blood and tissue. Weakly, unable to support himself, he now completely sacks onto the asphalt, falling to his side.

Noticing that he can't draw a single breath in this position, he forces himself to roll over to his back, his body screaming for repose. His breathing more and more turns shallow, blood bubbling with every painful breath he takes, and as the minutes pass, he is more and more aware of the slow death awaiting him if no-one helps him.

Chloe sees him fall to the ground, and instantly speaks to Jack. "Jack, a sniper just shot Hammond. I can't see if he's still alive but no-one is moving. It doesn't seem like there's anyone out there."

"Send the medical team in NOW! But tell them to be careful and get out of there as soon as possible!"

"Aren't they still in danger if there's a sniper on the roof?"

"They might be, but if Hammond was the target, then the shooter won't stick around to kill a medical team. It's a chance we have to take."

_Or they, you mean. _she thinks, but does as she's told.

**Audrey's car **

Having left the DOD building, Audrey is now on her way to CTU. Taking care to drive within the speed limit, not wanting to draw attention to herself, not wanting anyone to delay her unnecessarily, she is finding her way through the traffic, the backroads, the city jungle. She has never been to CTU before, but now she is curious to see the place that Jack left, or rather, was forced to leave before fate brought the two of them together.

She has refreshed her make up, gotten ready and excited to see Jack again. Even though it's been mere hours since they last met, this day, the past 24 hours, have for some reason felt much longer than a single day; they were more like a month, maybe even more than that. So much has happened, there were moments in which she was scared, or at least uncomfortable, knowing he was out there, unprotected, on his own and that there was nothing she could do to help. That last fact was what bothered her the most through all that happened. She was used to being the independent, skilled helper, usually not the one needing help, but getting through for everyone else. It was the sitting in her father's office, waiting to find out if Jack had been rescued that made her feel utterly helpless, at the mercy of some unknown powers, and she hated that feeling.

Now, seeing that he still might need help, she decided that it was high time to see if she could be of use. Of course, she could have stayed at the DOD and helped there, but if Jack was going to be at CTU, she figured that's where she ought to be, too. She just longed to see him, to see with her own eyes that he indeed is okay. She glances at her phone, wondering if she should call him but decides against it. If he's dealing with a crisis still, he can't use her distracting him, and, knowing him, she guesses he wouldn't approve of her going there at this point anyway. It was her decision to try and help, but inwardly, she was already anticipating the moment they would both leave CTU behind again, and go back to the world in which they belonged together.

**Ambush site **

An ambulance vehicle approaches from a distance, its sirene announcing the urgency. The medics dismount the vehicle as they identify the scene of the accident and first go to the car wreck in the tree trunk. They first check to see if the men inside are alive, then one of the medics notices two more figures on the asphalt closeby. "Will, over here!" he calls to his colleague and the two of them approach Hammond and Howard.

The sight of the two bodies alone leaves no doubt, but the medics check their vital signs anyway. "Al, let CTU know." Will says seconds later.

**CTU **

"Jack." Chloe contacts him. "Hammond is dead. So is everyone who was with him."

"Son of a bitch!" he shouts but continues driving downtown. "Look, Chloe, I'm still gonna go there. I might still find them."

"Jack, there's nothing you can do. By the time you get there, they'll be long gone. I need you here. Erin is about to find out and when she does, she won't hesitate to take me out of play, you know that."

Jack thinks for a couple of seconds. Chloe is right. As little as he wants to admit it. "Fine. I'm coming to CTU. But you stay on top of this. Use the sat footage, you might pick up something. I'll see you in a couple of minutes, I'm almost there."

"Okay. Thanks, Jack."

Jack hangs up and throws the phone to the seat next to him, turning into a side street. He's already in the vicinity of CTU.

**Split screen **

Audrey stops at a traffic light and glances outside, over her shoulder. A second later, she returns her attention to the traffic light, slightly shaking her head. _You're becoming paranoid, Audrey._ she thinks to herself. / Dr. Burke and the team around him can be seen working on Tony, the surgery is still ongoing. Tony's rhythmic breathing is monitored closely and supported by the machines. / Michelle sets the coffee cup onto a small, round, glass table in the waiting room and crosses her arms, only to start rubbing her upper arms with her hands seconds later, as if she were freezing. / Jack arrives at CTU, this time driving onto the parking lot outside the building rather than entering the underground garage. / Heller is going back inside the building, followed by his bodyguards and some other people. Before heading to his office, he knocks on door of Audrey's, calling her name as he opens it. There is a somewhat puzzled look on his face as he finds the room empty, but he closes it again and enters his office seconds later.

**CTU **

Jack leaves the van unlocked, what the hell, it's not his anyway, and starts heading towards the building. All he wants right now is to find whoever was working with Pete Hanson. Hammond surely wasn't his favorite person in the world, and it would have been just if he had been tried and sentenced, but that didn't mean an assassin could be allowed to walk around freely, possibly endangering other people's lives.

As he walks, it seems like he can hear a second pair of footsteps behind him and his muscles sudenly become tense, expecting trouble. Sure enough, within seconds, someone attempts to grab him from behind. Jack grabs the man's arm, gripping it firmly and turns around to face him, just in time to see a long blade in the man's other hand. With a few skilled moves, Jack disarms him, sticks the knife into the man's heart and drops the attacker's body to the asphalt in front of him.

He pulls his weapon, looking around to see if there's anyone else looking for trouble, and, seeing no-one, heads toward the CTU building. The security guard, having seen the scene on his screen, appears at the door, his weapon ready. "Mr. Bauer, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jack replies. "I need to know who he is. I need you to keep an eye on the body. I'll get someone from upstairs to ID him."

"Alright."

"Come on, let's get him inside." Together, they grab the man by his feet, dragging him towards the building. Jack uses his right arm for this, while keeping his weapon ready in his left hand, not really wanting to put a strain on his injured arm, especially after having to fight using it. Only when the body is inside the building does Jack holster the weapon again.

**Division, Clinic **

A woman wearing green scrubs comes through the two doors that lead to the clinic, entering the hallway. She stops for a moment, looks around, then enters the waiting area and sees Michelle standing by a wall, staring at the floor in front of her, the coffee cup in her hand again, although the coffee is cold by now.

Michelle, snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the doors, immediately lifts her head, setting the cup away and even while she's walking towards the woman, she speaks up: "How is he doing?"

Seeing the worry in Michelle's eyes, the woman, a nurse, takes a breath and then speaks: "I'm afraid it looks very serious right now. What the doctors have found so far is that, in addition to blood loss, your husband has a rupture in his spleen which was apparently caused by one of his broken ribs. Some of the stitches from the earlier gunshot wound have also opened. They haven't been able to examine him fully yet, they need to staunch the worst bleeding first."

Michelle swallows a gulp in her throat before she is able to speak. "Please tell me he'll live." she then asks pleadingly.

"I wish I could tell you that, Mrs. Almeida" she answers symphathetically, "but right now it's simply too early to say. We are doing all that we can for him." She pauses. "Is there anyone we could contact for you?"

While the nurse was speaking to her, Michelle started to nervously rub her hands. As silence falls again, she seems to realize it and instead crosses her arms, wanting to keep her hands steady. She appears to be thinking for a few seconds, but in reality, she is only fighting hard against herself to keep her composure. "Uhm... No. No, thank you." she finally utters. She wouldn't want to worry Tony's parents, she will call them when Tony is out of surgery to tell him they can visit. At least, that's her hope and for now, that hope alone seems to be giving her strength. "Assuming he makes it," she starts, because she inwardly _needs _to assume it, "how long will it take him to recover? Can you tell me that?"

"All that depends on the severity of his injuries. Weeks, could be a couple of months. Dr. Burke should be able to give you a better idea after the surgery is over. I really can't tell you more at this point."

Michelle nods absent-mindedly. "I understand. Thank you."

The nurse touches Michelle's arm with her hand, as if to give her strength. "I have to go back now. Dr. Burke just wanted me to give you an update. I'm sorry."

"Thank you. I'll be waiting here." she replies. The nurse looks at Michelle for another second or two, then turns around and walks out of the waiting room.

**CTU **

"Chloe!" Jack calls out softly to her as he enters the offices and approaches her desk. She instantly stands, walking towards him. "Hey, Jack." she greets him as they meet.

"Chloe, there's a dead man downstairs by the entrance door. He tried to kill me." Jack starts, not wasting time. "I've got the security guard watching the body. I need you to send someone to ID the man, find his car, see if he's the shooter we're looking for, okay?"

"Yeah, hold on." Chloe returns to her station, sending someone downstairs. Jack sits down in a chair by Chloe's desk, putting his head in his hands; after a few seconds, he starts rubbing his eyes with his fingers tiredly, while she's making the phonecall.

**Division, Clinic **

Alone again, Michelle throws the cold coffee into a bin, and sits down in one of the plastic chairs. Sitting there in silence, her mind only now really begins to process the words she's just heard. '_Very serious... Ruptured spleen... I wish I could tell you that... I'm sorry..._' When the nurse left, Michelle felt like hope itself was walking out through the glass doors with her and an overwhelming urge to cry came up inside her. But Michelle decided to fight it. Why cry when Tony is alive and there is still a chance he'll make it? Tony would be the first to say, '_A__s long as there's a chance, don't go there._'

She sighs, and only now notices that she had developed a bad headache during the past hour. She closes her eyes, massaging her temples, trying to make it go away.

**CTU **

"I sent two people from the lab down there, they should hopefully be able to tell us who he is soon. They'll let us know if they find his vehicle, too."

"Okay, good. Thanks, Chloe." Jack says sincerely, lifting his head again.

"What do you want to do next?"

"Until we know more, we can't do anything. I just hope we've got the assassin and that this day can finally end." he says, his hands running over his face, through his hair, then stopping at the back of his neck. He lets his head fall back for a second while taking a deep breath, his eyes closed.

"Yeah. Me too." she admits, then adds. "This sure was another one of those days..."

_Yeah it surely was. God knows I could do without them at some point. _Jack lifts his head again, taking a breath as he sits up. He needs to talk to Chloe, but glances around for a moment and decides the office is too crowded. Standing up, he touches Chloe's forearm, and takes her aside, leading her to a hallway, away from other people's ears.

"Audrey is on her way here." she starts, as they are there.

Jack nods. "Good, I need to talk to her anyway." Another glance towards the office, and then he speaks. "Look, about Louden..."

"Did you tell Heller?" Chloe interrupts, and as she finishes speaking, she glances away, as if to see if anyone heard her.

Jack does the same before replying: "Yeah."

"How'd he take it?" she whispers.

Jack lets out a small breath. "I think I lost my job."

Chloe nods as if she were expecting this. "I'm sorry, Jack." She pauses just for a second, then asks. "Can I help?"

"No." Jack says decisively, shaking his head, then takes her by her arm again, leading her even deeper into the hallway. "Chloe, listen to me. All you did is give me the key to your sister's apartment, you didn't know what I was going to do. And if anyone saw us go there together, you didn't know who the man with me was, okay?"

"No, Jack -" she starts, not wanting to lie and let him take the blame, just so she could save herself.

"_Yes_, Chloe, _please_. CTU needs you here and you need the job. I'm just trying to help you keep it."

"I'll be fine, Jack. You don't have to do this."

"I _want_ to." he pauses. "I disregarded a direct order from the Secretary of Defense. I kidnapped a suspect right out of a Federal Detention Center. I forced a statement out of him and now he's dead. That doesn't look good. Trust me, that's not something you want on your record or getting fired from CTU won't be your only problem." he tells her, looking her in the eye. After a couple of seconds, he adds. "You'll have trouble finding another job, especially with the government."

She looks back at him for a few moments, thinking, then sighs. "You're right." she admits. "Driscoll is just waiting for something like this to fire me." she sighs. "But it still doesn't feel right. I mean, what are you going to do? You want a government job as much as I do. Frankly, I don't see you selling veggies in a store, Jack."

Jack grins at her comment. "I'll be okay... It was _my_ responsibility and _my_ decision. You're better off here at CTU."

Chloe returns the smile for an instant, then nods. "Alright, fine... Thanks."

Jack keeps eye contact for another second or two, making sure she means it. Then he takes a step towards the main office again. "Ok, when's Audrey coming?"

"She should be here in five minutes, tops."

"Great." he smiles, offering his hand. "Thanks, Chloe. For all your help."

She shakes his hand. "Yeah."

"Mr. Bauer!" someone calls out to Jack and he walks past Chloe, back to the desks and to a young man he'd never seen before. "Yeah?"

"LAPD located an SUV in the vicinity. By the looks of it, it belonged to the man you took out. In the back was a Remington sniper rifle, along with .308 ammunition. We also recovered a cell phone , it appears that the last call he received was from the number Pete Hanson from the Department of Defense used."

"Looks like this is our guy." Jack utters to Chloe, who has joined them, too. "Anything else?"

"Well, from what we have, it looks like he was working alone, all leads end there, but we'll look into it further."

"Good. Thanks. Stay on it." Jack points a finger at the man as he says this. _Finally, this could be the end of it._

"Jack!" Chloe now calls out to him, phone in her hand.

He turns to her. "Yeah?"

"Security wants me to let you know Audrey Raines just got here. She's waiting in the small conference room."

"Thanks, Chloe."

"You're welcome." she replies and hangs up the phone.

Jack takes a quick glance around, locates the conference room and through the glass panel, he recognizes Audrey. A slight smile touches the corners of his mouth, and the look in his eyes softens as she turns around and their eyes lock. As she sees him, she smiles to him in return. Jack's face soon turns half serious again; he gives Chloe a meaningful glance, and walks past her and through the office, not rushing too obviously, but not stopping until he reaches the door. While he is approaching, the light in the room suddenly changes, making it look dark from the outside. Jack casts a glance at Chloe, who is at her computer, looking innocent, yet he understands it could only have been her, giving him some privacy. _Thanks._ he thinks.

His palms are sweaty with anticipation as he touches the metal door handle to push the door open. When he finally enters, Audrey walks to him, speaking his name, and the two of them hug tightly, with great relief. Their eyes are closed, bodies in close contact, although Jack presses his eyes shut and grits his teeth together at the pain this much needed embrace causes on his tortured chest and stomach. Ateempting to distract himself, he tries to concentrate on trying to feel her soft skin underneath her blouse. They stay like this for a while, just taking it in, the presence of the other, the closeness, both of them feeling thankful to even be there, together.

After the initial relief, Audrey realizes that she can feel a thick bandage underneath Jack's sweatshirt on his left arm, but before she can say anything, he pulls back, cupping her face to look at her, as if to make sure he's really been given a chance again, a chance to make things right. His thumbs gently trace her cheekbones, his eyes lovingly looking at her soft features and her smile. Everything he's been through in the past 24 hours, every dangerous mission he'd come back from in the past years, so many things could have cost him his life, and it is at this very moment, having come out alive from it all, that Jack realizes something: he was finally letting someone into his heart again. Though a part of him died together with Teri and bitterness and delusion ruled his soul ever since, right now, standing in the darkened conference room at CTU, waiting and wanting to taste Audrey's lips, he feels as if he just came back from the dead - and someone was waiting for him.

"I missed you..." he whispers very lowly, tilting his head to the side slowly, reducing the distance between their faces, inch by inch._ I was ready to die. I was expecting to die. But I'm so glad to be here with you right now. _Jack closes his eyes, his lips now close enough to feel the warmth coming from hers, and starts kissing her. She longingly returns the kisses, closing her eyes, leading her hands down his back and up again, letting them rest on his neck as she pulls him even closer, deepening the kiss.

**Division Clinic **

_I'm going to go crazy just sitting here for hours. _Michelle thinks, standing up from the chair with a sigh. _I need an Advil._ She knows she has some in her drawer up in the office but right now, no headache in the world is strong enough to make her leave the clinic; she could call someone to get it for her, yet it seems so unimportant to bother anyone with it that she decides against it. As usual, she didn't drink enough today; the headache might simply come from that or the fatigue, so she walks out into the hallway to at least get some water from the dispenser.

She fills a plastic cup, yet the water is so cool that she immediately starts feeling cold again and lets go of it, her thirst gone. Yet feeling this cold is enough for her sense of touch to somehow make a connection with a memory, the moment in the holding cell when she touched Tony's arm and he pulled it away. Chills take over her body again, she can feel the skin on her back crawl, goose bumps everywhere for a moment. She pulls her jacket on more tightly, crossing her arms at her chest, her eyes falling at a dark spot on the floor. Ready to let anything distract her thoughts, she squats next to it to look at it more closely. She instantly regrets her decision since the spot turns out to be a fresh drop of blood. _Tony's blood._ she realizes, dipping her finger in it.

The smeared drop on the floor is suddenly joined by another drop, this one clear and watery, then another, just like the first, and yet another. Michelle kneels next to the drop, then sits there, her legs failing her. Tears are now flowing freely and quietly down her face and neck, more teardrops making it all the way down to the floor. She lifts her hand from the floor, making a fist as if wanting to preserve the red smear on her index finger, and puts her other palm around the fist. In the quiet and solitude of the clinic, she finally gives in to the pressure and the pain of the day, to the fear, the uncertainty, the terror and regret. It is as if someone opened a valve inside her and everything is rushing to the surface now, every grain of emotion accompanied by dozens of teardrops, all of which are competing to flow and mix with the ones already on the tiled floor.

**CTU **

Audrey breaks the kiss, pulling away from Jack, leading her hands down his neck and shoulders. Before she can touch the bandage on his arm, he takes her gently by the wrists.

She remembers the bandage she had felt through his sweatshirt as he walked in. "Want to tell me what happened?" She asks him, a little breathless.

He shakes his head. "Not particularly." _I can't prevent you from finding out the moment you see what all this looks like, but I'm not going to ruin this moment._ Another quick kiss, then he whispers, "Come on, let's go."

"Where to?"

_Anywhere, as long as this day finally ends. _He puts his right arm around her and she smiles at him, leaning into his embrace.

Jack pauses a second before beginning to walk to the door, opening it, and replying, "Just out of here."

**10:59:57 --- 10:59:58 --- 10:59:59 --- 11:00:00 **


End file.
